Puppet Food
by chocca2
Summary: Bruised, tired and mentally exhausted from their previous hunt, the boys decide to take a break before they look for the next one. Unfortunately for them, their next hunt finds them first. Hurt Sam! Protective Dean! OMC Contains mature material.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:**Bruised, tired and mentally exhausted from their previous hunt, the boys decide to take a break before they look for the next one. Unfortunately for them, their next hunt finds them first. Contains mature material.

**AN:**Well I said I'd be back. I was so thrilled with the response from my first fiction, it left me reeling to write more…Thank you so much for those who read it. Now this is just one of the many ideas in this crazy head of mine, it's a 'Vamp fic' with a twist. Without giving too much away, there will be Sam and Dean Angst, but mostly Sammy and more protective Dean. Basically Sam's on the menu. They like to play with their food first…. It's a bit of a slow start but will pick up quickly.

My wonderful beta Michelle has stuck with it, so a big thanks to her for all her work!

**Disclaimer: **sigh No, I don't own them, I don't own much, in fact there have been questions surrounding the ownership of my mind. However, saying that, any characters you don't recognize have been derived from my head.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_On a long and lonesome highway, east of Omaha, _

_you can listen to your car's engine moanin' out its single song. _

_You can think about the woman or the girl _

_you knew the night before, _

_but your thoughts will soon be wandering, _

_the way they always do _

_when you're ridin' sixteen hours _

_and there's nothin' much to do _

_and you don't feel much like ridin', _

_you just wish the trip was through._

"Turn the Page" by Bob Seger.

The rumble of the Impala's engine filled the inside of car, its deep vibrations blending with the low muffled sound of Metallica protruding through car stereo. After the second time through, Dean had turned the music to a low hum playing in the background. His head was throbbing. He scrunched his eyes tightly shut, before opening them wide. He turned the warm temperature over to the other end so that the blowers shot out a cool breeze.

In a matter of seconds, the car was filled with cold air that upon making contact with his bare skin caused his hairs to stand and goose bumps formed on his arms. Still, the uncomfortable temperature was needed. After four hours of continuous driving, coupled with injuries and the day that they'd had, his adrenaline levels had almost completely left his system exhausted and fatigued.

"Shit." He muttered, forcing his heavy eyes open a little wider.

They needed to stop. Find somewhere to recuperate and repair and mend their bodies, not to mention their minds. The last hunt had not gone according to plan. The demon they had expelled from a young boy had not gone down without a fight.

Dean turned to his sleeping brother and shook his head. Sam had taken the brunt of it. Dean gazed at Sam once more. Sam's head was against the window, a patch of condensation creeping across the glass was the only sign that he was still breathing. His hair was caked with blood where his head had made contact with a wall. Dean was sure it had caused a bad concussion as he had battled for most of the trip to keep his little brother awake. In the last hour he had allowed Sam to close his eyes for ten minute intervals before waking him and forcing the younger man to recite his age, name and gender. The latter Dean had added for his own amusement.  
He watched Sam concentrate for an answer before realising the question. On receiving the correct answers, including the slurred curse, he had let his exhausted little brother sleep, it was clear that staying awake was not only difficult but also painful.

Yawning loudly, Dean's eyes widened at the site of the sign that whizzed past his view.

"Motel, one mile." Dean replied to himself.

The older hunter straightened in his seat and sighed in relief. He concentrated on getting Sam, himself and car there in one piece.

-------------

They arrived at ten minutes to midnight. The motel manager was an old, moody and very inquisitive man. He looked Dean up and down, questioning him about the bruises on his face and why he had blood on his shirt. The young, experienced hunter had answers ready on the tip of his tongue. The questioning hadn't stopped there, he asked about their destination, their purpose for being in town, their occupation, it went on and on. Dean's patience and tolerance for the man had grown dangerously thin and if it wasn't for the state that he and his brother were in, he would have told the old man where to shove his questions and snide remarks before abruptly turning and walking out.

However, the position of he and his brother took priority and that meant they had to stop for the night before he caused an accident somewhere on the highway between the motel and the next town.

Looking back at his car, Dean did the only thing he could and fed the man a string of lies that satisfied him enough to finally hand over the room keys for the night.

'_What a dick! Tomorrow we find another motel._' He thought as he walked over to the car, he roughly got in slammed the door, cursing as he saw his brother flinch.

"Sorry Sammy." After the very short trip around to the side of the motel, Dean removed the key from the ignition and exhaled loudly.

He patted Sam on the shoulder before getting out of the car. Dean tapped the passenger window lightly while he walked around to the back to collect their belongings.

Dean sighed as he returned to find a still sleeping brother huddled against the door. With everything they needed, now in their room, all that was left was his little brother, who seemed unwilling to co-operate.

"Okay Sammy, you may be my little brother, but you sure ain't little anymore and I'm not carrying you!" Dean watched from the open driver side as Sam curled in on himself in response.

He placed his hand on Sam's shoulder and shook him lightly as he spoke, "Come on Sammy, there's a nice warm bed waiting for you!" He smiled when he saw Sam's eyes flicker.

"I'll even get you a nice warm coco, maybe read you a story and tuck you in if you're good boy." Dean grinned.

"Jerk!" Sam mumbled while attempting to open his door.

-----------------

Sam sat on the edge of the bed and squeezed his eyes shut. Even whilst sitting, he could feel the room moving beneath his feet. He had eventually made it from the car to their room in one piece thanks to the assistance of his brother, who was now rummaging through the first aid kit. He swallowed the bile rising in his throat, sucking in a deep breath, he held it and hoped the nausea would pass. After two seconds he exhaled and found no comfort in doing so as the nausea still boiled in his stomach.

Now panting, he opened his eyes to focus on locating the bathroom. The light dazed his vision and he tried to follow the sound of his brother's voice. _Dean! He had to warn Dean_. Another minute passed and he knew his time was running out. He had to find a bathroom before he decorated the carpet with the contents of his stomach.

"You okay?" Dean stood in front of Sam, looking down with a concerned expression.

Sam looked up and regretted the movement, groaning in response, he clapped his hand over his mouth.

---- 30 minutes later---

The room was drenched in an uncomfortable silence.

"You owe me big time Sam! That was just… disgusting!" Dean made a face while pulling on a clean shirt.

After he had taken care of Sam, he'd jumped in the shower to clean up a little. Sam lay still, in bed, on his back, with his arm draped over his face.

"Urg …I said I'm sorry, Dean." Turning to lie on his side, Sam faced the young man that stood at the other end of the room. Dean walked over to Sam's bed and using his foot, he slid a bin closer to him.

"If you throw up in your bed, you're on your own, got it?" Dean spoke with his face still scrunched in disgust.

"Gee Thanks!" The younger man groaned and shoved his face deeper into the pillow.

"You're welcome, now get some rest, it's late. I'll take a better look at your head in the morning." Dean slid into the cool crisp sheets of his own bed and paused before turning out the light. He looked over to Sam and shook his head.

-------------

"Ow! Dammit Sam!" Dean spat and gritted his teeth against the pain.

"Stop being a baby and try and stay still, Dean!" Sam responded, his face deep in concentration over the task at hand.

"God dammit! Watch it Sam!" Dean whined.

"I have to make sure it's tight, Dean." Sam shot his older brother a frustrated look.

"Whatever. Just hurry the hell up will ya!" Dean begged.

Sam stopped and shot another look towards the older man.

"Do you want me to do this properly or not, Dean?"

Dean opened and closed his mouth without saying anything else. He was in too much pain to get into a fight, again.

Both brothers had woken up in pain and that put them both in foul moods. Sam had woken and attempted to clean up after himself. However, he hadn't gotten very far and was found with his face pasted to the bathroom floor by his big brother.

Dean woke up sluggish, having not had a lot of sleep, thanks to their neighbours and the cardboard walls. _This place was a real dump_. Every inch of his body ached, only adding to his irritation.

On discovering the empty pain medication, the two men's frustrations had turned to anger.

Dean hadn't forgotten to remind his younger brother of his 'throwing up all over him' incident, to which the younger man apologised until he'd had enough. It was then that Sam's comment about Dean's lack of responsibility in replenishing their kit flared them into a full blown argument.

It lasted until they had drained their already weakened bodies. They had laid on their beds for half an hour until a silent truce was announced and they began to patch each other up the best they could.

"Food or Meds first?" Dean questioned, trying to ease the tension.

"Ah, food, not that I'm hungry, but you can't take the pain meds on an empty stomach." Sam finished and stood up slowly grasping the bed for support.

"Right, err …Thanks for…" Dean gestured to his bound chest a little uncomfortable with the situation. Sam nodded and responded with his own unspoken appreciation, followed by an extended period of awkward silence.

"Let's just go!" Dean replied finally and pushed himself up.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**Not much happened in this chapter, like I mentioned it's a little slow to start, but will pick up. **

**Good, Bad, ugly? Please let me know what you think so far! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary:** Bruised, tired and mentally exhausted from their previous hunt, the boys decide to take a break before they look for the next one. Unfortunately for them, their next hunt finds them first. Contains mature material.

**AN:** Thank you so much for your wonderful reviews guys they keep me going… As usual, a big thanks to Michelle her for all her work!

**Disclaimer:** sigh no, I don't own them, I don't own much, in fact there have been questions surrounding the ownership of my mind. However saying that, any characters you don't recognise have derived from my head.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

_So you walk into this restaurant_

_Strung out from the road_

_And you feel the eyes upon you_

_As you're shaking off the cold_

_You pretend it doesn't bother you_

_But you just want to explode_

_Yeah, most times you can't hear 'em talk_

_But other times you can_

_All the same old cliché's:_

_"Is it woman? Is it man?"_

_And you always seem outnumbered_

_You don't dare make a stand_

_Make your stand_

**Turn the Page by Bob Seger  
**

The drive to the local dinner had been short and made in silence. Dean turned the ignition off and pulled out the keys. Both brothers sat still in their seats, gazing toward the small, unattractive food establishment. They almost groaned in unison as they went for the door handles to get out of the car.

The door bell chimed as the two hunters entered the old diner, each did their survey of the surroundings before they both headed for the farthest booth in the corner. The prying eyes of the few occupants followed them until they sat.

Dean stared at the jumbled words on the menu in front of him, the throbbing pressure in his head would not ease. When he finally made out the ingredients of the breakfast special, he snapped the menu shut and faced his younger brother expectantly. Sam also sat staring at the menu. He contemplated on what he could manage to place into his mouth with having to see again a few minutes later.

The pain in his head was still there, but duller now, not as vicious.

"So, what are you having?" Dean asked as he slouched lower into his seat.

Sam looked up with a blank expression, Dean hadn't spoken for a while. Things had been tense and uncomfortable since their pointless argument, he sighed and concluded that he and Dean would both feel better after eating and some breakfast.

He truly wasn't hungry, but would humour his older brother, who was obviously attempting to make amends. Sam briefly looked at the menu.

"Err, I think I'm gonna go for…hmm…Toast." Smiling, he smugly placed the menu down, satisfied at his selection.

"It took you over five minutes to decide on Toast?" Dean laughed before regretting the movement of his sore ribs with a pained gasp.

"Whatever. So, what are you having?" The younger hunter sat straighter and went about analysing the salt shaker with an intensity that caused Dean to notice Sam's unease.

Damn, that demon had gotten under Sam's skin.

Both brothers where experienced enough to know how demons would try everything possible to distract and cause damage in every way, but this time had felt different. This time the words and comments had not bounced off as they should, they penetrated the skin and burned a hole that was visible enough to see through.

He saw the open wounds in Sam caused by the comments about Jessica and their Dad. Hell, Dean had felt the burn after the taunts about their father. Both he and Sam just needed things to get back to normal. They just had to shake the whole thing off and get back to being themselves again.

With that in mind, he thought he'd attempt and lighten the mood.

"Well Samantha, I'm a grown man, so I'm gonna have the breakfast special." Dean smirked at his younger brother while looking around for the waitress.

The truth was that he wasn't very hungry himself, but he knew he had to eat something before taking the medication, plus he felt weak. They hadn't eaten for over twenty four hour, even prior to that their appetites were suppressed by the ordeal of exorcism. The lack of nourishment was starting to effect their performance.

"I told you Dean, I'm not hungry." Sam looked up at his older brother and sighed sadly.

"Toast will be fine." Sam continued with head low, fumbling with the salt shaker.

The waitress came, took their orders and returned with the two plates and two cups of hot coffee. Sam hadn't raised his head since their food had arrived. He took a total of ten bites of toast that he had struggled down. Dean had counted and noted each mouth full his brother took, he hadn't commented on it as he too struggled to swallow the greasy food. After moving around the remaining food on his plate for over ten minutes, Dean decided that they were both done. The pain in his head was now intense and the slightest movements caused white dots to appear before his eyes.

----------

After 'eating,' the two young men made their way to the town's local shops, their main focus on finding the nearest pharmacy or even a convenience store, anywhere that stocked basic medical supplies, including pain killers.

On the drive to the town, Sam sat quietly, taking in the scenery. It was then that he realised that he hadn't known where they were. Then again, he was out of it for most of their retreat from their last hunt and he doubted Dean had anywhere in mind but as far away from Arizona as they could manage.

Sam shifted in his seat uncomfortably. He grimaced at the thought of their previous hunt, and sure, he was relieved that they had managed to save the possessed boy, but the ordeal had left an extremely sour taste in his mouth, not to mention opened a large mental wound that was now exposed.

Sam rubbed his face with his un-injured hand, these thoughts and memories a little too tender for now as he mentally tried to push them aside. Returning to his mindless gaze out of the window, the young man formulated that the lone dusty roads still indicated that they were south. He gazed over at his brother and thought to ask him, but the cantankerous expression on Dean's face told Sam to wait. He would at least wait until Dean had some pain medication in him, that and a good sleep.

Damn, they were both hurting. Dean had experienced his share from the demon not only physically but mentally as well. Sam hadn't said a word to his brother since the diner, he figured they were not in the mood for much, especially talking.

After having their pointless argument in the morning, he had tried his best to not annoy or tick his older brother off any further than he already had. Sam sighed, even _he_ felt pissed and cranky he realised that this feeling was causing whatever he said to sound slightly brash and haughty. This and Dean, of course, was not a good mix.

----

The town was aged, but was mismatched both with modern and older styled shops that stretched through a long main road. About half way in the middle, the boys spotted their destination. Dean was out of the car before Sam had processed that they had stopped.

The younger hunter slipped out of the vehicle and after locking it, quickened his pace a little to catch up behind his brother.

---

Dean listened for the door behind him, to make sure Sam had followed. He hadn't spoken to his younger brother since the diner and wouldn't now until he could speak without snapping. He wasn't angry with Sam, in fact, the opposite. He was worried and concerned for him, not only his physical state, but his mental one as well.

Dean noted that 'a quiet Sam' usually meant 'a thinking Sam,' and made a mental note, that when he felt more himself that he would have get Sam to talk about it. Huffing loudly, the older hunter walked over to the medical supplies located down an aisle second closest to the counter.

Picking up a bunch of supplies and clasped them against his sore chest. Dean cursed at the jolt of pain and muttered to himself that he should have picked up a carrier. Upon turning, he found his younger brother holding the handle of a plastic basket toward him.

"Here" He offered quietly.

Dean's frown drifted into a smile while he dropped the contents into the carrier.

"Thanks. You want anything else?" Dean asked.

Sam surveyed the contents and nodded.

"We need some water." Dean immediately turned toward the isle he had spotted on entering.

"Yep, I'm not drinking that brown stuff coming out the taps either!" He scrunched his face and looked to see his brother's response, smiling again as he watched Sam pull the same expression.

They had everything they needed. Dean paused while approaching the counter, he stared into the basket counting up the bill in his head. He bit his lip when he reached very close to his budgeted figure. _Damn it, they needed some cash_ he thought while resuming his way toward the payment counter.

"I have some cash Dean." Sam hated how weak his voice came out.

Dean glanced at Sam.

"Nah, I think we've got enough. You can save that for later though." Sam shook his head, understanding that that would mean Dean was going to the bar later.

While the cashier totalled and packed their purchase, Sam hovered away and approached the door. He looked out into the street and noted that it seemed to be a very quiet town. There were very few cars and the only the odd person coming in and out of the shops.

Dean brushed passed Sam's shoulder and walked out of the shop, with Sam at his heels. They slowly made their way to the car, before placing the bags in the back seat, igniting the engine and speeding off down the dusty road.

The tall man, stood in the shadows of a shop canopy, dropped his cigarette and put it out with his boot. He blew out a cloud of smoke and smirked as he inhaled a deep, long breath trying to catch the remnants of their scent.

'_New blood.'_ He thought as he pulled the collar of his jacket up.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx **

**Another chapter down, please let me know what you think? I love reviews! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary:** Bruised, tired and mentally exhausted from their previous hunt, the boys decide to take a break before they look for the next one. Unfortunately for them, their next hunt finds them first. Contains mature material.

**AN:** Thank you so much for your wonderful reviews guys, so sorry I haven't replied personally this time, sorry for taking longer to post this chapter as well, it's been a crazy week plus I had internet problems.

A big thanks to Michelle her for all her work!  
**  
Disclaimer**: sigh no, I don't own them, I don't own much, in fact  
there have been questions surrounding the ownership of my mind. However   
saying that, any characters you don't recognise have derived from my head.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_I want to  
I want to be someone else or I'll explode  
Floating upon this surface for the birds  
The birds  
The birds_

You want me?  
Fucking, well come and find me  
I'll be waiting  
With a gun and a pack of sandwiches

And nothing  
Nothing  
Nothing  
Nothing

**Radiohead - Talk Show Host**

_  
_  
_Previously:_

_The tall man, stood in the shadows of a shop canopy, dropped his cigarette and put it out with his boot. He blew out a cloud of smoke and smirked as he inhaled a deep, long breath trying to catch the remnants of their scent. _

'_New blood.' He thought as he pulled the collar of his jacket up. _

**Chapter 3**

Sam could feel the sting around the rim of in his eyes, partly due to tiredness, but mostly because he felt like he wanted to cry and not just shed a tear but really cry. He feared if he gave into the threatening tears that they would never stop.

Sam looked up to the mirror in front of him and immediately turned away from his reflection.

**_Flashback_  
**_  
Sweat ran down the young boy's face, making his fine blonde locks cling to his face. His small piercing eyes stared towards the two hunters, mainly focused on Sam Winchester._

"Oh Saaammmy…" The tiny voice sang playfully.

Sam tensed and gripped harder to the large book in his hands. He stood beside Dean, who held the rosary beads in one hand and holy water in the other.

Dean turned and nodded to Sam to continue.

Sam swallowed hard, with his head down he spoke, reciting the Latin phrases and words.

"Now come on Sammy, don't be like that."

When Sam looked up to the child, he saw the all too familiar smirk that the young boy wore. It was the same smirk that the demon produced, it may have been a different face, a different demon, but behind it he saw the pure evil.

"You know you're no different to me Sam, just because you deny it doesn't make you any better. I mean, at least I wasn't responsible for my own mother's death. She brings into this world and yo… Ahhhrrrr" The screams and cries, followed by strong curses, echoed through the darkened room. 

_  
Dean was standing over the boy, splashing more holy water across the tiny body._

"Take that you son of a bitch!"

The young boy panted through the pain of the exorcism. He gritted his teeth as he stared daggers toward the older hunter before him, he gathered saliva in his month and spat at him.

"_Fuck you!"_

Sam watched as Dean gathered every bit of calm he could muster, they knew this would be a hard one, the demon had chosen such an innocent young boy to possess and it was difficult to hear such cruel words pour out from a  
child. 

_  
Sam's hands were holding so hard onto the book that he almost tore the page. He spoke louder, attempting to ignore what was being said._

"You're going back to hell! You hear me!" Dean spat, he gripped his rosary beads tighter.

"Hell? Now that's a good subject, because, you see, I won't be alone, you want me to say hi to Daddy for you? I cou… Arrr" The boy pressed his lips together as he fought the pain.

"…And Sam, Jessica and Mommy send their lov…FUCK!" The boy's head flung back as his eyes blackened.

_  
"As their poor bodies burn, tear and suffer indescribable pain that will never end, they think of you, Sam!"_

Sam's voice trembled at the thought of his loved ones, the tears in his eyes clouded his vision and he attempted to read the words in front him. He looked up beside him as he felt the firm hand on his shoulder.

"Don't Stop!" Dean spoke, trying to encourage his deflated brother.

The boy's body shook violently, while the effects of the exorcism took grip; his voice switched and fluctuated between the deep evil growl and a young, lost boy.

"Sam, I gotta give it to you, I mean you really are a bad omen, from the day you were born and even now every body around you dies…" The child looked up and smiled at the effect his words had on the two men.

_He watched Dean step closer and aim the holy water at him. This, however only made the young boy smile even more._

"Oh you never learn…" He squeaked and flung Dean to one corner of the room.

Sam watched in horror as he was thrown to the other direction, his vision blurred before everything faded to black.  


**Present  
**  
The loud banging on the door shocked and woke the younger brother from the memory.

"Dude? You gonna share the bathroom or what?"

Sam sensed the concern in his brother's voice. God, how long had he been in here? He wondered as he swiped his hand over his face.

"Sam?"

Sam cleared his throat, "Yeah I'm coming, just give me a minute!"

--- 

Dean walked away from the bathroom door.

"Yeah a minute, you've only had over thirty minutes already, Sammy." He moaned.

The older hunter Sat on the edge of his bed and ran his hands through his hair. He began to regret agreeing to Sam accompanying him to the bar. It was clear that his younger brother's head was messed up, hell his was too.

The older brother within him allowed Dean put aside his own feelings and place Sam's first, it was a natural trait of Dean Winchester, and he would always look out for Sammy, even if he wasn't 'Okay'.

The bathroom door clicked and opened to reveal a freshened up, but very tired looking Sam.

"You look worse now than you did when you went in." Dean spoke as he picked up his bag and walked towards the bathroom.

"Thanks Dean!" Sam answered and smiled sarcastically.

"You're welcome! Be ready go when I'm done. We leave in fifteen!" 

--------

He lifted the drink and swallowed remains of the cold beer, placing the empty glass heavily on the counter.

The bar tender walked over and offered the youngest Winchester another.

"Yeah, thanks." Sam turned his head to the pool table at the back of the  
room.

Dean had a large grin on his face, he watched as the young woman flaunt over to him, placing her finger on his lip. He shook his head in acknowledgement.

Sam turned back to face the bar as another cold, large beer was placed before him. Sam nodded in response and lifted the cool liquid towards his lips.

"Brother's eh?"

Sam shot his head up at the bar tender; he tensed as his hunter instincts took over.

"What?" He spoke defensively.

"Hey, chill dude. I have an older brother. It was justa guess. You get to have great observational skills in this job." The tall man held his hands up to signal no harm, he turned away and continued to work.

Sam watched him for a minute and returned to his beer. He ran his finger over the condensation of the cool drink; maybe he had been a little harsh, maybe he just needed some harmless banter to help detach himself from his thoughts.

He took another long swig of his drink. "You must get to see a lot, working in bar?"

The blond headed bar tender turned to face him, he smiled and responded. "Oh yeah, probably one of the only perks of this job, it's not my life's ambition to do this forever, I'm just saving up."

Sam smiled in response, understanding that bar work wasn't something most people aspired to do. "You're saving up? What for?" He inquired and took another sip of his drink.

"For college." The bar tender replied with enthusiasm. He appeared excited that someone was interested in his plans.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Sorry to leave it there I will update soon. Thanks for reading! Please   
review!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary:** Bruised, tired and mentally exhausted from their previous hunt, the boys decide to take a break before they look for the next one. Unfortunately for them, their next hunt finds them first. Contains mature material.

**AN:** Thank you so much for the reviews on the last chapters I really appreciate them. I have just got back from Paris hence the delay with this one, sorry. It's here now, hope you enjoy!

A big thanks to Michelle her for all her work!

**Disclaimer: **sigh no, I don't own them, I don't own much, in fact there have been questions surrounding the ownership of my mind. However saying that, any characters you don't recognize have come from my head.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Pleased to meet you  
Nice to know me  
Whats the message?  
Will ya show me?

Ive been waiting  
A long time, now  
Now heres the answer  
Youre all mine now

**Stone temple pilots - Down**

_**Previously:  
**  
Sam watched him for a minute and returned to his beer. He ran his  
finger over the condensation of the cool drink; maybe he had been a little   
harsh, maybe he just needed some harmless banter to help detach himself from his thoughts._

_He took another long swig of his drink. "You must get to see a lot,  
working in bar?"_

_The blond headed bar tender turned to face him, he smiled and  
responded. "Oh yeah, probably one of the only perks of this job, it's not my life's ambition to do this forever, I'm just saving up."_

_Sam smiled in response, understanding that bar work wasn't something   
most people aspired to do._

"_You're saving up? What for?" He inquired and took another sip of his drink._

_"For college." The bar tender replied with enthusiasm. He appeared  
excited that someone was interested in his plans._

**Chapter 4**

Sam couldn't hide his amusement at the coincidence of the man's plans.

The bar tender pushed the cloth further into the tall glass he was cleaning, lifting his brow to indicate that he wasn't following Sam's amusement.

The young hunter didn't reply, he simply chuckled more to himself and  
took another sip of his drink before looking down into his glass.

"Okay what? Did I say something funny?" The bar tender paused and stopped what he was doing, "Are you just going to laugh at me for the rest of evening?"

"I'm not laughing _at_ you, it's just … ah …it's nothing" Sam replied with  
an inward smile.

"Nothing huh?" The young man standing behind the bar wore a dejected expression as he nodded and picked up his glass and cloth.

"Look man, that came out wrong, what I mean is, it's just funny cause in a way I can relate to you…that's all" Sam tried his best 'forgive me' smile and waited for a response.

"Another?" The bar tender offered pushing a shot glass towards the hunter as he lifted the bottle of Jack Daniels.

Sam rubbed his hand over his face, he had reached his usual limit for alcohol consumption, which in Sam's case wasn't much and was not sure if he truly wanted to drink the night away.

"I… uh… lemme finish this first." He gestured to the remainder of the beer in his glass. The bar tender nodded and went to serve another customer.

The younger hunter turned around behind him to look for his brother, he sighed as he saw Dean in the same place he had been since he last looked at him. He watched as Dean grinned at the women's flirtatious teasing, it didn't take long for the brothers to make eye contact, at which point Dean nodded and untied himself from the women's grip.

"Sorry ladies, I'll right back." The older hunter gave them a wink while he walked away towards Sam.

"I did pretty well tonight!" He raised his eyebrows while he placed his hands in his pockets.

Sam glanced at the two women and then back to his brother with an unimpressed expression.

"I can see that, so did you actually win anything, apart from the local entertainment?"

"Uh yeah! Made 150 dollars, hence I said I did pretty well." Dean straightened as he corrected his sibling. He glanced towards the girls and smiled.

"Okay, so yeah maybe the local women have found themselves drawn to me, I can't help being attractive." Dean smiled.

Sam snorted at his brother's comment "Whatever Dean, so you're done right?" The younger hunter turned to the women once more and continued before Dean could reply. "Well, in here anyway?"

"I sure am bro, uh Let me take you back to the motel and drop you off." Dean threw another wink towards the women, causing them to giggle and wave. "Unless you wanna… You know...meet the locals?" Dean smirked.

"No thanks, I'll pass. Go on, I'll stick around here for a bit. See you later Dean, you have fun and…" He gulped the last of his beer down, forcing a smile at the waving ladies "Uh play safe..."

"I always do Sammy" Dean's smile turned to a frown as he noticed the empty glass.

"So how many have you had? You're planning on staying here? You sure you don't want a lift back?"

"Bye Dean." Sam answered with sarcasm in his voice.

"I'm just looking out for you Sammy."

"Thanks, but I'll be just fine, Dean." The younger Winchester smiled and placed his hand on his brother's back ushering him towards the women. "Have fun."

"Later dude!" Dean grinned and left.

Sam watched his brother walk away with both women on either side of him. He rolled his eyes and snorted before bowing his head to stare at the countertop.

Sam looked up from the puddle he had been staring at on the bar while he thought about another beer. He was met by the now familiar face of the bar tender; in the dim light his pale skin contrasted with his intense, blue eyes making for a very unique and unforgettable appearance.

"That drink still an offer?" he asked.

He was answered by the sliding of the shot glass over to him, followed by the bottle.

-----

Laughter echoed through the nearly empty bar. The two had joked and shared light chatter until the early hours of the morning. It surprised Sam at how easily he had opened to the stranger, although part of him knew that it was mainly to do with the alcohol, there was another feeling he had that he couldn't quite pin point. Sam reached into his pocket for the twenty he knew he had put away. His hand brushed his cell phone and he pulled it out along with the note.

The Winchester glanced at the screen, confirming the time as he thought about his brother. The thought of calling him for a lift passed as quickly as it came and he stood up from the bar stool, trying to gain his balance.

"Look, thanks man, that should cover it" Sam slipped the twenty onto the bar as he discreetly held onto it for support.

The bar tender frowned for a brief moment and took the twenty before retuning shortly with fifteen dollars.

Sam scrunched his face, confused at the amount change, "I think you uh…I don't understand?"

"I told you those last few were on the house. It's least I could for you, seeing as you listened to me babble on for hours" He spoke playfully at the confused and slightly tipsy young man.

Sam nodded and stepped back, suddenly feeling confident enough to balance on his own. He scooped up his change and placed it in his pocket. Sam watched as the bar tender held out his hand and smiled.

"I'm Tristan by the way."

He met the greeting hand "Right….Sam. Thanks again and… uh …if I don't see you again good luck with everything"

"Thanks. Same to you" He replied and watched the young Winchester walk out of the bar. He stood there for several minutes, wearing a grin at the closed door.

----

Sam brought his jacket tighter around himself, he had thought the long walk back to the motel would sober him a little, that and he didn't want to have to bother his brother, knowing he was probably 'busy' with his own entertainment.

After a few minutes the crisp air certainly did its trick with the sobering up, the young hunter was now fully awake and regretting staying at the bar so late, the appeal of a nice warm bed was growing with every step he took.

Sam's thoughts were disturbed by a sudden presence; he quickly turned around, bringing out his gun to point it at the threat. Sam frowned and hastily darted his eyes from left to right. He was sure someone was behind him, he gripped harder to his weapon, the wide open space made him feel increasingly uncomfortable. He turned around to continue towards his destination, but was immediately met with a blow that drifted him into unconsciousness.

----

The room was drenched in darkness, only one bed lay empty.

The tall figure stood over the bed where the youngest Winchester lay. He had been striped down to his jeans, his limp form was draped across the bed.

The pale, soft hand stroked away the young man's brown locks covering his face. The same hand took the butt of his cigarette and put it out in the unused ash tray on the bedside table. He licked his lips while he dipped his head lower towards the unconscious Winchester and drew in a deep long breath. He held it in and smiled before leaving the room.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary:** Bruised, tired and mentally exhausted from their previous hunt, the boys decide to take a break before they look for the next one. Unfortunately for them, their next hunt finds them first. _**Contains Mature Material**_

**AN: **Thank you so much for taking time to review. Life has been so hectic lately and I'm trying to make sure I have a chapter at least once a week. Thanks for bearing with me on this story. Your reviews keep me going! So here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy! A big thanks to Michelle her for all her beta work, she's doing this for me in-between all her papers and I'm really grateful to her for doing it!

**Disclaimer:** sigh no, I don't own them, I don't own much, in fact there have been questions surrounding the ownership of my mind. However, saying that, any characters you don't recognise have come from my head.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

_Im sweating, And breathing_

_And staring and thinking_

_And sinking Deeper._

_It's almost like I'm swimming._

_The sun is burning hot again_

_On the hunter And the fisherman,_

_And he's trying to remember when,_

_But it makes him dizzy._

_Seems like I've been here before._

_Seems so familiar._

_Seems like Im slipping Into a dream within a dream._

_Must be the way you whisper._

_**Tool - Sweat**_

_**Previously: **_

_Sam's thoughts were disturbed by a sudden presence; he quickly turned around, bringing out his gun to point it at the threat. Sam frowned and hastily darted his eyes from left to right. He was sure someone was behind him, he gripped harder to his weapon, the wide open space made him feel increasingly uncomfortable. _

_He turned around to continue towards his destination but was immediately met with a blow that drifted him into unconsciousness. _

_The room was drenched in darkness, only one bed lay empty. The tall figure stood over the bed where the youngest Winchester lay. He had been striped down to his jeans, his limp form was draped across the bed. The pale soft hand stroked away the young man's brown locks covering his face. The same hand took the butt of his cigarette and put it out in the unused ash tray on the bedside table. He licked his lips and dipped his head lower towards the unconscious Winchester and drew in a deep long breath. He held it in and smiled before leaving the room. _

**Chapter 5**

Dean lightly kicked the door to their room open, he struggled in with the bag and two cups of coffee in his hands, using the back of his foot, he kicked it closed. The older hunter surveyed the room, taking note that not only was his younger brother still asleep, but something in the room felt different.

After placing his purchases on the table, Dean walked over to his sleeping brother's side to get a closer look. Sam was draped across his bed with his long arms and legs dangling over each end. Sam wore only his jeans, which Dean found unusual, as he knew his brother enough to know that Sam would always wear something more comfortable to sleep in.

He remembered how he had left Sam at the bar drinking, this allowed Dean's concern to fade, he considered the possibility that perhaps his younger brother also got 'lucky' or maybe just had too much to drink, yeah that was probably why he was still asleep.

The older hunter nodded and smiled at the conclusion he had come to.

"Oh Sammy."

Dean knew his younger brother was never a big drinker and when he did drink, he usual never drank much. It was only on those certain occasions when Sam would let himself go, sinking deeper into the bottle, that Dean would find his little brother like this, not only suffering inside, but also suffering the physical consequences, that's when he would wake up.

Being the great brother he was, Dean sighed and allowed Sam to sleep in before he told him about the hunt. It just so happened that the little dead town they were staying in had some disappearances and from reading the recent papers earlier that morning he concluded that it appeared to be a vampire hunt.

The older hunter smiled and began to un-tie his boot laces before removing them and throwing them to one side. He would get a shower first, things were looking up, he had had 'great' night and now stumbled upon a hunt which he initially though was too soon for them, but reconsidered it as this was just what they needed to get over their last one.

'_Yep.'_ He thought as he dragged himself into the bathroom, _'That was what Winchesters did best.'_

---------------

All other senses were present before sight. His nose picked up the pungent aroma of blood, it was thick in the air, the sweet metallic and sickening smell stung his nose as he drew a breath. The familiar, horrible taste of blood in his mouth caused him to gag involuntarily.

The next sense that returned to him was hearing. He could hear the faint, but distinctive sound of breathing. His own breathing was rapid and unsteady, but there was another, more dominant one that over powered all other sounds. It was deep, rhythmic, and seemed to include a lengthier deep inhaling than any exhaling. The deep inhaling was followed by what sounded like a pleasurable sigh. It was at that point the younger Winchester knew he was not in the room alone.

Excluding sight, the last sense to return to the young hunter was touch. This was the sense that troubled him the most, it was the one that made him feel the most uncomfortable. His body felt paralysed. Sam didn't know if it was with fear, but it was strong and he could not move most of body. The younger Winchester brought in his lips and pressed them together as he used all his energy to move, all he managed was a slight twitch of his fingers. He felt the tacky viscosity of blood between his fingers as the liquid began to dry, he felt his stomach flip once more at the sensation.

Sam's breathing stopped as he held it in, the hairs on the back of his neck stood sharp, a cold moist hand made its way up from his chest to his neck. The motion was lingered and supple. The younger hunter whimpered at his helplessness, his body was stiff yet hung limp, he was close to passing out again when he remembered he needed to breathe. The intense fear of not knowing what would happen to him should he loose consciousness taunted him. Sam wanted to scream as the same hand tangled itself in his hair, the grip was strong and rough. A tear rolled down the young hunter's cheek as he felt a warm breath near his lapel.

--------

"Sam?" The older hunter took another bite of his doughnut.

"Shit!" He huffed as the jam dripped onto his lap. He used his finger to retrieve the spillage and place it into his mouth.

"Sam, wake up! We've got work to do." Dean shot a glance at his brother on the bed before returning to his coffee and half eaten doughnut.

"Come on Dude!" Dean got up from the chair and sat on his own bed, facing his brother's sleeping form.

Panic ghosted its way into the older hunter as he watched and waited for a response.

Perhaps he had been wrong he thought while he placed a hand on Sam's forehead. With a sharp gasp, the sleeping brother grabbed onto the inspecting arm.

Sam's eyes were filled with terror and shock, as oxygen returned to his lungs he choked and wheezed his way into a steady rhythm. It was only when the younger hunter gained some control of his panicked state, that he released the grip on the arm. He blinked and looked at the marks he had left, only then realising whose it was.

"Dean?" He rasped, it had come out as a whimper, but had been acknowledged by the other hunter.

"Hey, you okay?" Dean's panicked expression faded to one of apprehension. He didn't want to distress his brother anymore than he already appeared to be.

Sam couldn't reply, he simply flopped back onto the bed and continued to catch his breath. He swallowed and nodded. Dean nodded in reply and got up, he moved quickly into the bathroom to return with a glass of water that he held towards his little brother.

"Here, drink this." He gripped onto the glass and with his other hand helped bring Sam's head up.

"Slowly!" He added. The cooling water touched his lips and he welcomed it into his mouth. After gulping down another mouthful he paused to catch his breath unsure if the water would make its way back up.

"Did you have a vision or Nightmare?" The older hunter questioned. He knew from experience that the reaction he had witnessed was usually one of the two.

The younger Winchester almost flinched in response, it wasn't the fact that Dean had inquired about it, nor was it the question for that matter, but it was the _response_ to the question that concerned him the most.

The truth was, he wasn't sure. It felt too real to be a nightmare, those he had had many of and could easily tell the difference. Well, he thought he could. It wasn't really a vision, not a vision he had ever before, the doubt made Sam more uneasy. He didn't want to imagine that what he had woken from was a memory of something that had perhaps happened to him.

Sam felt the blood drain from his head, he thought about his most recent memory of last night. All he could remember was the bar, the bar tender and watching Dean Leave. He blinked again and stared into his brother's eyes in despair. The memory of his very last recollection hit him hard as he remembered walking from bar late at night, he also recalled the fear, followed by the unexplained presence.

Sam closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"I …err…Dean, I don't know… I don't know what happened to me last night!"

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think, Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary**: Bruised, tired and mentally exhausted from their previous hunt, the boys decide to take a break before they look for the next one. Unfortunately for them, their next hunt finds them first. Contains mature material.

**AN:** Thanks for those who reviewed. I appreciate each and every one of them. A big thanks to Michelle her for all her beta work!

**Disclaimer:** sigh no, I don't own them, I don't own much, in fact there have been questions surrounding the ownership of my mind. However, saying that, any characters you don't recognize have come from my head.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

_Say your prayers little one ._

_Don't forget, my son_

_To include everyone._

_Tuck you in, warm within_

_Keep you free from sin_

_Till the sandman, he comes_

_sleep with one eye open_

_gripping your pillow tight_

_CHORUS_

_Exit, light Enter, Night_

_Take my hand_

_we're off to never-never land_

_Something's wrong, shut the light_

_Heavy thoughts tonight_

_And they aren't of snow white_

_Dreams of war, dreams of liars_

_Dreams of dragon's fire_

_and of things that will bite_

_Sleep with one eye open_

_gripping your pillow tight._

_**Metallica - Enter Sandman**_

_**Previously:**_

_"Did you have a vision? Or Nightmare?" The older hunter asked sympathetically, he knew from experience that the reaction he had witnessed was usually one of the two._

_The younger Winchester almost flinched in response, it wasn't the fact that Dean had inquired about it, nor was it the question for that matter, but it was the response to the question that concerned him the most. _

_The truth was, he wasn't sure of the answer. It felt too real to be a nightmare, those, he had had many of, and could tell the difference. Well, he thought he could. It wasn't really a vision, not a vision he had had before, the doubt itself made Sam more uneasy. He didn't want to imagine that what he had woke from was a memory of something that had perhaps happened to him. _

_Sam felt the blood drain from his head, he thought about his most recent memory of last night. All he could remember was the bar, the bar tender and watching Dean Leave. He blinked again and started into his brother's eyes in despair. _

_The memory of his very last recollection hit him hard as he remembered walking from the bar late at night, he also recalled the fear, followed by the unexplained presence. Sam closed his eyes and took a deep breath in. _

_"I …err…Dean, I don't know… I don't know what happened to me last night!" _

**Chapter 6**

Sam swallowed the bile rising in his throat, the words he had spoken still ringing loud in his own head.

'_What the hell happened to me last night? How did I get back?'_ His frantic and panicked eyes surveyed the surroundings, and fell upon his bare chest.

Sam's face scrunched in confusion, he felt his heart begin to race against his ribs.

'_Where are my clothes?'_ It was then that he realized not only had his shirt been removed, but the rough and 'free' feeling in his Jeans confirmed that his boxers were also no longer on his body.

'_Oh God.'_ He wondered if he would make it to the bathroom, without throwing up all over his brother. Again.

He was pretty sure that, as good a big brother Dean was, he wouldn't take another one of these 'incidents' so well. With that in mind, he sucked in a breath and closed his eyes to the moving walls.

"Dean…" Dean had been observing his younger brother with caution, taking in the gradual build of panic and the sporadic thinking, hoping that he could tell what was going on in Sam's head.

He considered all the possibilities that could have happened to him when suddenly he felt the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. That's when he thought about all the things that could have gone wrong while he was…well while he was getting some 'ass' his brother could have needed him and he wasn't there.

The realization hit him hard. Sam was the only family he had left and nothing would stand in the way of that. Dean cleared his throat. He was suddenly grateful that his brother had made it back to the motel safe, by the sounds of things, slightly confused and hung over, but safe and in one piece.

He hid the relief with a grin. "So Sammy, exactly how much did you have to drink last night?" He stood and made his way to the small table on the other end of the room.

The reply hadn't been what he had expected. Dean watched in amusement as Sam's tall frame hopped, half tripped and half fell into the bathroom and onto his knees, he crawled the rest of the way and rested his head on the bowl before the heaves and retching began.

"That many huh?" He leaned on the door, with a sympathetic, yet disgusted smile on his face.

He knew how much his younger brother hated throwing up, but this was self inflicted and Sam was always the first to relish in Dean's hangover symptoms. The younger Winchester sunk his head deeper into the toilet bowl while his body was overcome with another wave of violent heaves.

"I gotta give it to ya for making it to the bathroom, this time, Sammy. See, this way is much better than using me as your barf bag, well less messy, anyway." Dean made another disgusted face at the memory.

------

Sam had been in the bathroom for over fifteen minutes now, every few minutes Dean made sure he went in there to check that he was still alive, after the first couple of minutes of Dean's taunting, he had been told not so kindly by his younger sibling to leave him alone, which he did.

Dean stood up from the table and walked over toward the small bathroom, the door had remained open, so he could keep an eye on Sam. He glanced at his watch and decided it was time to pick his brother up off of the floor. Shaking his head, he walked into the room and stood over Sam's hunched body.

"How you doing Sammy? Come on, lets get you off the floor huh?" Dean spoke softly as he wet a small towel with cold water and handed it to his brother.

Sam replied with a groan, he blinked a couple a times, but everything in the room still appeared fuzzy so he closed his eyes and gave into the strong arms that assisted him to the bed.

-----------

"Hey." Sam brought his hand to his head. "Ohh..man what time is it?" His voice was hoarse.

"Time to wake up, again… It's about two in afternoon, you feeling better?"

"Dean ..I …last night, it's just a blur ..I can't."

The older hunter chuckled, "Oh yeah, we've all been there, believe me! Sometimes it's a good thing you don't remember. See, there was this one time in Texas, I tried some of this special brew...oh man… I woke up next to…" Dean trailed off his story when he noticed Sam wasn't even looking at him anymore.

The expression on Sam's face, forced him into big brother mode almost immediately. Sam was obviously distressed about something.

"Hey" Dean spoke softly, in more serious tone. "You really don't remember anything?" Dean watched as Sam went to speak before lowering his head defeated.

"I don't …bits I guess, I err..."

Dean nodded and stood handing his younger brother some water.

"Okay, so what's the very last thing you remember?"

"Walking….back to the motel, it was late and there was …" Sam shook his head and dug his palm into his head.

Dean swallowed the guilt, already regretting leaving Sam at the bar without the car.

'_Damn it, that was a bad move. There's a group of vamps out there and Sam was out at night, alone...Shit!'_ Dean thought hotly. He straightened in his seat, and patiently waited for his brother to continue.

"I remember saying bye to you, and then bar tender guy, err.. Tristan, yeah I remember talking with him, it was late and I left just before closing. No wait maybe it was already closed…anyway…that's when…" Sam stopped and shut his eyes.

Dean sat nervously, rubbing his jeans, as his head was swimming with thoughts, he tied together that their new hunt could be connected to Sam's loss of memory. He hoped to god he was wrong and that Sam had maybe just had too much to drink, but the feeling in his stomach told him otherwise and he nervously bit his lip.

"Dean…something was out there, last night, I could feel it…God Dean what if.." Sam's voice trembled, causing Dean to move closer and sit on the bed opposite Sam's.

"Okay, look we just need to piece things together, then things will make a little more sense." Dean tried to appear convincing.

"What is it that we're hunting?" Sam questioned, catching Dean's falter.

"Huh, what are you talking about?" Dean replied, caught off-guard.

"There's something here, isn't there? It's a case, isn't it? You just couldn't resist, could you?" Sam replied.

"Case? There's no case Sammy, we're taking a break, remember?" Dean quickly responded.

"You're lying." Sam replied.

"Am not!" Dean objected.

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Yes you are, you're lying Dean, you're doing that thing you do when you lie." Sam said.

"What thing? I don't do a thing when I lie." Dean replied fiddling with the belt loops of his jeans and looking around distractedly.

"That thing! That thing right there! It's that thing you do when you lie! You're lying Dean."

"Am not!"

"Then why are you playing with your pants like that?" Sam asked.

"Cause they're nice pants?" Dean offered, his cheeks blushing.

"Like hell, Dean, tell me what you aren't telling me." Sam said, his face was straight and unimpressed. Sam wasn't backing down.

"Okay, fine. It _is_ a case. I was gonna tell you, really I was. I was just gonna wait till you were a little less hung over." Dean attempted.

Sam snorted in disapproval.

"What happened to 'let's take a break,' Dean?" Sam asked.

"Well, it started out as a break, but it just so happens that this little town had other plans. You see, I read this morning's paper and it seems like we have ourselves a vamp problem, a couple of missing persons reports...you know the usual." Dean replied almost hopefully.

Sam let out a breath of relief the tense expression falling from his face.

Dean was relieved at the reaction he gained from Sam.

"What? You mean you're happy about the hunt?" Dean questioned, once again hopeful.

"No man, I thought...well you were going to say that I...I mean that someone was murd...I could have hurt someone again, go Dean, this whole thing with me not remembering, it's not like we haven't been through this before." Sam's head was bowed and his voice was barely above a whisper.

Dean shook his head that was just like his brother. "Sam, look, that hunt brought up a lot of things that err... that we'd rather forget, but you don't have anything to feel bad for, you can't keep doing this to yourself, dude. " Dean waited for a response and when he got none he continued.

"This is different Sam. Look, I know you don't remember what happened, but it's not what you think, okay? If anything, I'm worried that this hunt could have something to do with your memory loss, you're not possessed, Sam. You got that?"

"Don't…Can we… look, I'm glad about this hunt, I'm fine, I think it's what we need, what I need." Sam tried his best to get it together. He deliberately avoided eye contact.

There was a pause before any of them spoke again.

"Right, let's go back to the bar, see if we can figure out what happened to you last night, perhaps that guy, err...Tristan? Maybe he can shed some light on the whole thing. Maybe even help us out a bit, I mean he's a bar tender, he's gotta hear a lot of stories, you wanna bet that he knows more about the local legends and missing folks than anyone else in this town? He's gotta hear stuff from his customers, stuff that nobody else would believe. I mean really, people see something weird or experience something too strange to comprehend, they go get drunk as a way to deal with it and believe me, drunk people will say _anything_. I bet Tristan has a lot of stories to tell, how about we go and hear some of those tales?" Dean shrugged with a small smile.

Sam nodded and stood before he slowly walked over to his bag.

"Okay. You get cleaned up and I'll dig up so more info." Dean finished and sat down with the laptop.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think, Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary** Bruised, tired and mentally exhausted from their previous hunt, the boys decide to take a break before they look for the next one. Unfortunately for them, their next hunt finds them first. _**Contains mature material. **_

**AN** Thanks so much for all your reviews. I appreciate each and every one of them. Oh man, it's one of these 'in between' chapters that I struggle with, not much action in this, but it's the build up to it so I hope you bare with me.

As usual big thanks to Michelle her for all her beta work!

**Disclaimer:** sigh no, I don't own them, I don't own much, in fact there have been questions surrounding the ownership of my mind. However, saying that, any characters you don't recognize have come from my head.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

No gain with no pain

My scars are deeper than you think

Tie me, try me

One more time before I sink.

_**-Unkle- bloodstain**_

_**Previously:**_

_"Right, let's go back to the bar, see if we can figure out what happened to you last night, perhaps that guy, err...Tristan? Maybe he can shed some light on the whole thing. Maybe even help us out a bit, I mean he's a bar tender, he's gotta hear a lot of stories, you wanna bet that he knows more about the local legends and missing folks than anyone else in this town? He's gotta hear stuff from his customers, stuff that nobody else would believe. I mean really, people see something weird or experience something too strange to comprehend, they go get drunk as a way to deal with it and believe me, drunk people will say anything. I bet Tristan has a lot of stories to tell, how about we go and hear some of those tales?" Dean shrugged with a small smile. _

_Sam nodded and stood before he slowly walked over to his bag._

_"Okay. You get cleaned up and I'll dig up so more info." Dean finished and sat down with the laptop._

**Chapter 7**

The youngest hunter shut his eyes and let the warm water wash over his body. He stood with his hands spread, bracing himself against the tiled wall of the shower. Almost a whole minute had passed, one whole minute that he hadn't thought about the night before. A whole minute that he hadn't thought about his missing clothing, the tender spot on his head that he'd only just noticed and the deep black hole that held his fragmented thoughts. However, that minute was over before he could relish it and the reality of everything had come rushing back with a speed that hit him hard, without warning.

Sam kept his eyes shut, ignoring the dizziness by leaning his head against the cold tile. When the water temperature dropped slightly, he decided to finish up. He wasn't sure how long he had been in there, but was glad that Dean hadn't been waiting for a 'hot' shower. His goose bumps told him that there was no hot water left.

Sam rubbed his hand over his face and slowly blinked the water out of his eyes. He blinked again, to try to clear his vision. Sam shook his head slightly and placed his hand over his eyes once more. The water just didn't seem to clear away from his vision, it only caused it to become more blurred. In fact the water didn't even feel the same, it felt a little too thick and too sticky.

Come to think of it, the all too familiar coppery smell he'd experienced earlier tainted the air. Sam's breathing hitched. The young Winchester brought his hands up to eyes and gasped in horror at what he saw. The red liquid coated every inch of him, it was all over his body, in his hair, splashed over the walls, it even drenched the shower curtain.

In one swift movement, Sam leapt from the tub, catching his foot on the curtain. He landed onto the hard bathroom floor with a thump.

----

"Sammy?!"

"Arrgh." The youngest hunter groaned and rubbed his side.

His dazed eyes searched the room, looking for the blood that had caused him to lose control in the first place. He rubbed his head, unsure of what he had seen, because his now-clear vision revealed that there was no blood, just water and now he was sitting on the bathroom floor, drenched, bruised, and naked.

"Damn it Sam, I'm coming in!" It took a second to process the shouting behind the door before he quickly became aware of what had been said.

"What no!… Dean I'm fine, I….err …I just slipped, I'm good." Sam did his best to make his voice steady as he spoke.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, dude I'll be out in a minute!" Sam shouted back, relieved when he heard the distant mumbling from his older brother.

-----

Sam stepped out of the small room before walking over to the bed. He was incredibly aware of the eyes that followed him there while he sat and busied himself with the task of getting his shoes on. Sam briefly glanced at his older brother sitting at the table and raised his hand in the air to ward of the question that was on the tip of Dean's tongue.

"I'm fine Dean, I just…slipped." He spoke, trying to appear irritated and slightly embarrassed.

The true reason for his fall would remain with him until he could piece together what was going on. Dean shrugged his shoulders in defeat. He would accept that for now. They had work to do.

"You ready?"

"Yeah. I really gotta speak with Tristan man, he's the last person that saw me last night and all this is driving me crazy…" Sam stopped himself and lowered his pitch, he could see his older brother nodding in acknowledgement, "I just want some answers."

Dean sat still for a moment, watching his brother collect himself before he stood. He understood Sam's urge to get things cleared up, this was just one of the many things they had to worry about regarding what had happened the previous night.

"Let's go find this guy Tristan. Oh by the way, while your were 'slipping' in the bathroom I found some more information about this town," The older hunter gestured to the door. "I'll tell you on the way…"

He walked out of the room leading the way to the car parked outside.

Sam grabbed his jacket and stood in the doorway for a moment. He grabbed the handle and pulled the door half way shut. He paused and looked back into the empty room, the young hunter felt a cold chill that brushed over him for a spilt second and he drew in his bottom lip, biting it as he surveyed the room once more. Satisfied that the room was indeed empty, and that his nerves were obviously still on edge, he clicked the door shut before rushing into the Impala.

--------

"I'm really sorry guys, Tristan won't be in till this evening." The young daytime bar tender offered a sympathetic smile toward the deflated younger hunter.

Dean watched Sam's eyes dart around desperately, he could sense Sam's anxiety building. The young lady sighed at the two men standing before her, she briefly turned away before walking off toward a board with pinned documents.

She casually stood with a hand on her hip and stared at one paper in particular for a few seconds before returning to the edge of the bar.

"Yeah, he did the late shift last night so he's definitely not in till eight."

She offered another smile to the both of them.

Sam nodded, trying his best to remain calm. "I know, I was here last night, I really need to speak with him, it's important! Is there any way to get in touch with him?"

She stared at Sam for a moment and looked back at the other bar tender.

"We err …We're not allowed to give out the numbers of employees."

Sam blew out a long breath and turned away slightly so that his back was to her. Dean stepped forward and did the only thing he could think of. If there was a woman involved, and all else failed, flirt.

It wasn't that he wanted to, well, not _entirely,_ but if this was something that he could do to help his brother, he would gladly do it. Sam walked away from the two, he was happy that Dean was there to handle this one, because he wasn't really coping so well with everything that had happened. Something was really off, his nerves were on edge, and he could feel himself starting to crack under the pressure.

Hearing the young lady giggle, he glanced at his brother and hoped that whatever Dean was doing, was enough to at least get them an address or number for Tristan. He decided to wait outside and quietly walked out of the door.

------

"You owe me Sammy." Dean walked out smiling and holding a folded piece of paper.

Sam offered a smirk to his grinning brother. "Please tell me that Tristan's number is there as well?"

"Hey, what do you take me for Sammy?" Dean tried to appear bothered by Sam's comment, he stared at him for a long moment

"Okay, so yeah I got her number, but I also go Tristan's Cell number and she said he's always got it on him and that he doesn't live too far away, either." Dean finished.

"Thanks." Sam replied in a hushed tone.

"Uh huh, like I said, you owe me."

Sam rolled his eyes and smiled. "Whatever." He smiled and held out his hand toward the paper.

-----

The two hunters sat on the hood of the Impala with the sun beating down upon them. The youngest hunter held the phone against his ear as he waited for an answer. He stood as he heard the phone click over to the voice mail.

"He's not picking up!" Sam looked at the phone before re-dialling the number and waiting for it to go yet again to the voice mail message.

The younger Winchester sighed impatiently.

"Hey, calm down. Leave a message, we can try again in bit." Dean watched Sam walk away with the phone against his ear.

Sam grasped the phone harder as he waited for the message to finish this time:

_"Hey, It's Tristan. I can't take your call right now, leave me a message and I'll get back to you." _

Sam took a deep breath to calm himself. "Hi Tristan, it's Sam here from last night, look dude, I really gotta talk to you, it's important, so if you could call me back as soon as you get this, that'd be great!"

Dean walked over to Sam who stood staring at the phone in his hand as if simply watching it would make it ring. Upon hearing Dean draw closer, Sam distracted himself from his gaze and slid his cell into his pocket.

"We could check out that café in town, get some more info on this hunt?" Dean suggested.

Before Sam could answer, his ring tone sounded while the vibrating in his pocket confirmed that his phone was ringing.

--

"Tristan?" Sam asked hopefully.

"Hey. Sam?" Tristan asked.

"Yeah, hey man you remember me from last night in the bar right?"

"Of course. It was a late one huh, so what's this all about, you wanted to talk me?... I'm working later tonight."

"Yeah about that, see err… I was kind of hoping to speak with you before then?" The phone was silent for a second.

"Sure Sam, I can meet you in about…. half an hour?"

"That'd be great, where do you live, I can come by…"

"Nah, it's not problem dude, I can meet you at this café in town, it's called 'Cathy's' you can't miss it. It's smack bang in the middle of all the shops."

"Err Yeah sure, if that's alright with you? I don't want to be a bother."

"You're not, don't worry. I'll see ya soon!"

----

Sam heard the dial tone and looked over to Dean.

"He's going to meet us at the café in town."

Dean nodded silently, gathering his thoughts. He tilted his head toward the street in the direction of the shops.

"Let's go. We were heading that way anyway."

----

It didn't take them long to walk to the small café. It was positioned in-between the other shops just as Tristan had stated. The exterior was worn with chipped paint and it was old fashioned in design. The windows appeared to be slightly tinted as you couldn't clearly make out the occupants from gazing from the outside.

Dean was the first to push the creaky door open, its loud, high-pitched bell announcing their entrance to the few occupants. The older hunter provided the inquisitive eyes with a classic Dean Winchester grin before glancing back at Sam.

The younger hunter didn't return the gaze, his eyes scanned the faces in an attempt to see if Tristan may have turned up early. Sam noticed that the lighting in the café was very dim, in fact, you could hardly tell it was daytime at all. The thick smoke coming from the old residents sitting in far left hand corner of the room only made the dim setting more dull and depressing. He couldn't imagine any one wanting to eat in a place like this. It began to make sense to him as to why the café was so empty.

"Hey Guys, over here!" Both men turned their attention to the right corner of the room where, at a small table placed near the wall, Tristan sat, sporting a cap and shades.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think. Go on, click the Review Button!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary**: Bruised, tired and mentally exhausted from their previous hunt, the boys decide to take a break before they look for the next one. Unfortunately for them, their next hunt finds them first. Contains mature material.

**AN: **Thanks so much for your patience guys I'm getting there and thanks to those who took time to review. Much appreciated! As usual big thanks to Michelle her for all her beta work!

**Disclaimer: **sigh no, I don't own them, I don't own much, in fact there have been questions surrounding the ownership of my mind. However, saying that, any characters you don't recognize have come from my head.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Come as you are, as you were,

As I want you to be

As a friend, as a friend, as an old enemy

Take your time, hurry up

The choice is yours, don't be late

Take a rest as a friend as an old memoria

Come dowsed in mud, soaked in bleach

As I want you to be

As a trend, as a friend, as an old memoria

And I swear that I don't have a gun

No I don't have a gun

_**Nirvana - Come As You Are**_

_Previously_:

_Dean was the first to push the creaky door open, its loud, high-pitched bell announcing their entrance to the few occupants. The older hunter provided the inquisitive eyes with a classic Dean Winchester grin before glancing back at Sam. The younger hunter didn't return the gaze, his eyes scanned the faces in an attempt to see if Tristan may have turned up early._

_Sam noticed that the lighting in the café was very dim, in fact, you could hardly tell it was daytime at all. The thick smoke coming from the old residents sitting in far left hand corner of the room only made the dim setting more dull and depressing. He couldn't imagine any one wanting to eat in a place like this. It began to make sense to him as to why the café was so empty._

_"Hey Guys, over here!" Both men turned their attention to the right corner of the room where, at a small table placed near the wall, Tristan sat, sporting a cap and shades. _

**Chapter 8**

Tristan pushed out one of the chairs with his foot, gesturing towards the taller Winchester to sit. With a courteous nod he greeted each of the brothers.

"Sam," Followed by a mischievous smirk, before drawing his attention to the older. "Ah. Dean?"

Dean silently responded with a nod while he took a seat. The older hunter took in his surroundings once more, his observant eyes focussing on the man before them. Meanwhile, Sam had restrained himself from attacking Tristan with the questions that were swirling around in his mind. After all, he'd only met the guy once and scaring him with questions now wouldn't do them any good. He patiently waited for Tristan to make the first move. Tristan took his shades off and rubbed his eyes, he inhaled loudly and pulled his cap down further over his forehead.

"So Sam…" Tristan picked up the packet of cigarettes from the table and tipped it to slide one out. He placed the cigarette to his lips before continuing, "Good night huh?"

Sam placed his hand on the back of his neck, rubbing it as if to ease the tension. "Yeah, about last night…" He paused, making it clear that he was thinking about how to put what he wanted to ask.

Sam shifted in his chair uncomfortably, he couldn't figure out why he was finding it so hard to talk. He had so many things he wanted to ask. Sam shot a quick glance at Dean before he attempted to continue. Neither of them could respond as Tristan swiftly took the stick out of his mouth and spoke.

"Hey, is that what this is about?...Nothing bad happened did it?"

"Well, that's just it, um I can't really remember much about what happened." Sam's ghosted an embarrassed expression. "I was kind of hoping you could shed some light on that for me?"

Tristan gave a sympathetic smile that turned to a worried glare. "Sure man, you really don't remember anything?" He scrunched his face in confusion. "It's just that you didn't seem that wasted to me, I mean yeah you had a few too many, but you were pretty with it when you left. Seriously man, I wouldn't have let you go on your own if you were too drunk…."

"I know. It doesn't really make sense to me either. Well, not much does actually. Do you know what time I left?" Sam tried to make his voice sound strong and solid.

"Well err…it was a little after closing so it must have been about midnight." Tristan studied the two hunters, noticing their urgency for some answers. "So what exactly happened to you? You get home… I mean back to the motel okay?"

This time it was Dean who scrunched his face in confusion, Tristan seemed to know a lot. He gave Sam a quick glare and turned to the man before them. Tristan had noticed Dean's reaction, he took a look towards Sam before he offered an explanation."Sorry Dean, Sam and I talked a lot, it seems we have quite a bit in common."

Dean offered a polite grin and straightened himself in the chair. "Really? Talked a lot huh? About anything in particular?"

Sam sighed and stared at Dean. He cleared his throat and continued to try and get his brother's attention.

"When I say a lot, I mean about stuff, you know, life in general, it was a pretty light chat dude, don't worry about, he didn't reveal any deep dark family secrets…" Tristan replied with a little chuckle that he quickly stopped upon noticing that his comment had not been found as funny as he thought.

"I don't know what else I can tell you about yesterday, I'm taking you made it back though?" He asked again, this time directing it to Sam.

"Um yeah I did, I don't really remember how, but I do remember being at the bar and talking to you. Did I talk to anyone else, or did you notice anything, any one unusual sneaking around?" Sam leaned forward as his last words were spoken more softly.

"Nah, I mean you were at the bar pretty much all night. You went to the john and that's about it until you left." Tristan sighed causing Sam to move in closer in anticipation. "It's just…I don't know…some strange things have been happening here lately, like um…. people missing, weird noises at night and err…" Tristan paused and shook his head, thinking that he was starting to sound completely crazy.

"What do you mean? Please, go on…" Sam replied. He turned to Dean who also looked keen to hear this information.

"Some strange reports um…women, usually, young, missing for days, waking up with no memory of where they've been, they um… where usually abused…" Tristan fiddled with the napkin holder on the table as he recited the information to the two men before him. "I don't think what happened to you has anything to do with all this, but it's just strange, you know? I can't explain it… Look man I'm sorry about letting you go out on your own last night. I wished I had asked my brother to give you a lift now…"

Dean cleared his throat. If he didn't feel guilt about leaving Sam alone before, he definitely did now, the possible offer of a lift from a stranger was all Dean needed to hear to know that he'd made a terrible decision in leaving his brother at the bar and Sam had now possibly paid for it.

"Do you know any of the people that went missing, you think you could help us get in touch with one of them and maybe have a chat?"

----

Tristan supplied both hunters with contact information for a few of the victims. Sam had remained seemingly quiet after the reveal of the strange happenings. Tristan took one last long pull on the cigarette and held it in before turning his head to the side to blow out the grey smoke.

He licked his lips while he pressed the butt of the cigarette into the ash tray.

"Look guys, I'm sorry I couldn't help you much…" He shrugged his shoulders and sighed. "If there's anything else I can do, man you know where to get in touch with me, right? You still gonna be in town later? Maybe heading over to the bar?"

"Err.. I don't know, maybe, we'll see…Thanks Tristan, for everything." Sam held out his hand and it was accepted and taken firmly by Tristan's grip.

"No worries, take care Sam. Later Dean." He lightly saluted as the two made their way out the door of the café.

------

The drive back to the motel had been a silent one. It wasn't that they had nothing to talk about or say, but in fact it was the complete opposite. Both of the hunters had a lot on their minds and this was shown by them thinking, musing about it all, they processed what they had been told with the facts that they already knew and still things didn't quite seem to make sense.

Dean shot regular short glances over at his younger brother, he knew that Sam hadn't really got the answers that he desperately needed and that would eventually drive him crazy. That and the fact that once again these vampires, if that's what they were dealing with hadn't really been following the usual signs and patterns.

There was something very strange going on in the town and Dean was definitely going to get to the bottom of it.

Sam brought his hand to his face and pinched the bridge of his nose. After realising that he had been seen by his brother, he casually turned away, trying his best to make it as discreet as possible.

"What's wrong?" Dean asked, his voice had come out a little harsher than he expected and retracted slightly by rephrasing in more subtle tone, "You okay?"

Sam's headache had been increasing with every beat of his heart, first making his vision blurred and following with making his hearing muffled. The younger hunter struggled to speak.

"Err..Headache...urgg...bad one. I gotta lay down I think." He slowly lowered his head and groaned through the increasing pain. Dean bit his lip and placed a quick, reassuring hand on Sam's shoulder.

"We're nearly there Bro, hang tight, you can get some rest while I do more research." Sam kept his head low and nodded in response. He relaxed his shoulders and melted into the leather seat of the Impala.

-----

Sam awoke suddenly, panicked eyes trailing the room for immediate danger. As he took in his surroundings, he began to calm and eventually realised that he was back in their motel room on his bed. He couldn't remember getting himself there, but could tell that his brother most likely had something to do with that.

'_Dean.'_ He thought to himself as he once again scanned the room and tried to locate his older sibling.

The room was empty and the silence revealed that he was indeed alone. Sam took a deep breath to calm himself and looked at the bedside table, he released a sigh of relief and a smile when he saw a small, folded piece of paper.

He scrunched his eyes to read the quickly scribbled words: _Relax. Gone to get some food. Back soon, need anything call me. Dean 21:30 _

Sam looked at his watch, saw that it was only 21:45, and sighed again over his panicked state. He was so on edge, and couldn't help but laugh at his high level of anxiety. Clearly Dean had recognized it too if the first word on the note was anything to go by. Sam smiled, Dean was right, he just needed to relax little. Things were bad, but that was nothing new and getting worked up about it all wasn't going to help anyone.

With that in mind, he slowly raised himself off the bed and walked towards the bathroom. The younger hunter pulled his hand over his face, wiping the sleep from his eyes.

He paused and froze suddenly. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck gradually began to rise. In one swift motion Sam turned to face the intruder that was standing in the far corner of the room.

"Who are you?" He cried out, his voice shaky and vulnerable. He had no weapon close enough and his cell was too far away to get too and so he just desperately hoped that Dean would return soon.

Sam stood stiff, waiting for the tall man in the shadow to reply. He studied his options and figured the best bet would be to make a dive for his bed, where Dean would have left the knife under the pillow.

'_Damn it, where are you Dean?'_

The tall, shadowed man stepped closer to the panicked hunter. His movement was slow, yet confident.

"So, we meet again." The man's voice was deep and strong, clearly not afraid of the situation.

"What do you want?" Sam shouted, this time using that as a distraction to move closer towards the bed.

"Oh…" The man sniggered and bit the bottom of his lip. "I want you." He replied calmly.

Sam flinched at the words, his heart raced, and he concluded that he could probably make a jump for the bed. Before his actions could be carried out however, he felt a strange sensation overcome him, no matter how much he tried, he could no longer move physically.

Frozen in place, now in front of the intruder who had swiftly approached him, Sam tried to at least cry out in distress. His lips parted and moved but no sounds came out.

"Shh…" The man placed his finger on Sam's lips and caught the youngest Winchester as he collapsed into them.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxx **

**Thanks for reading. I know, I know….I had to stop somewhere, I'm sorry. So what did you think? Please let me know, please review! **


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary**: Bruised, tired and mentally exhausted from their previous hunt, the boys decide to take a break before they look for the next one. Unfortunately for them, their next hunt finds them first. Contains mature material.

**AN:** I can't thank you enough for your reviews, it's great to know your enjoying the story.

As usual big thanks to Michelle her for all her beta work!

**For the 'anon' reviewers **

Tvdinnersrule –Thank you, hope you enjoy!

Cynthia Richter – Thanks for pointing that out, I have updated those two chapters

akani-chan – I know cliff hangers are a pain, I just couldn't help myself, hope you enjoy this chapter…

elwen – Thanks again

**Warnings** – Some naughty language, and things are going to get a little dark in this chapter (just a little)

**Disclaimer: **sigh no, I don't own them, I don't own much, in fact there have been questions surrounding the ownership of my mind. However, saying that, any characters you don't recognize have come from my head.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

My knife - its sharp and chrome  
Come see inside my bones  
All of the fiends are on the block  
I'm the new king, Ill take the queen  
cause in here were all anaemic  
In here - anaemic and sweet...so...

**Deftones - Knife Party**

_Previously:_

_Sam stood stiff, waiting for the tall man in the shadow to reply. He studied his options and figured the best bet would be to make a dive for his bed, where Dean would have left the knife under the pillow. 'Damn it, where are you Dean?'_

_The tall, shadowed man stepped closer to the panicked hunter. His movement was slow, yet confident._

_"So, we meet again." The man's voice was deep and strong, clearly not afraid of the situation._

_"What do you want?" Sam shouted, this time using that as a distraction to move closer towards the bed. _

_"Oh…" The man sniggered and bit the bottom of his lip. "I want you." He replied calmly. _

_Sam flinched at the words, his heart raced, and he concluded that he could probably make a jump for the bed. Before his actions could be carried out however, he felt a strange sensation overcome him, no matter how much he tried, he could no longer move physically. Frozen in place, now in front of the intruder who had swiftly approached him, Sam tried to at least cry out in distress._

_His lips parted and moved but no sounds came out. _

_"Shh…" The man placed his finger on Sam's lips and caught the youngest Winchester as he collapsed into them. _

**Chapter 9**

When the youngest Winchester woke the very first thing that hit him was pain. It started at the crown of his head, penetrated its way through to the back of his neck while the violently building pressure absorbed him, it was almost unbearable. As he fought through the pain the main thing that floated through his mind was that he couldn't pass out again, not now. Not when he had no idea what could happen to him should he fall into the darkness.

"De...Ahh…Dean" He began, panting as panic set in.

He hadn't even attempted to open his eyes yet, but the need to do so tugged at him. He knew that he was no longer in the motel room. There was a musty, thick smell in the air, Sam took short sharp breaths, his long lashes fluttering as they began to part. The room was surprisingly dark but apparently not dark enough as his eyes immediately shut upon seeing the small flickering candle lights.

"Hush" Sam jerked his head to the side towards the voice, he held his breath and attempted to open his eyes once more. Through his slightly parted lids, he nervously observed a tall dark figure walking toward him. Sam's chest tightened, something didn't feel right. He couldn't move, but he wasn't restrained with any obvious instruments. Another attempt to move left him panting hard.

"Who?...What do you want?" The young hunter's questions came out as a desperate whimper, it seemed that was all he could manage.

"You really should relax, you're going to RUIN IT!" The last words came out harshly causing the young Winchester to flinch. The man cleared his throat and sat on the bed, proceeding to run his hand through Sam's locks.

"Try not to get worked up huh? It will be so much harder if you do, plus it'll spoil the taste." Sam watched in horror while the pale man before him licked his top lip before sniggering.

"Please…just…my brother's gonna hunt you down…just let me go…I…" Sam groaned through another bout of pain that shot through his head.

"Ah Sam, now what did I tell you about getting worked up? you're only making it more painful for yourself. Don't try to fight it, if I wanted you dead, you would be…look…I'm not going to kill you or even turn you, I'm just … relax. Okay!" The pale man stood sharply and remained at the top of the bed.

"What are you?" Sam asked, he exhaled and tried to calm himself.

The man before him tilted his head and sneered in disappointment. "As a hunter Sam, I thought you already knew about us, well how shall I put it, I'm into...blood sports, Sammy." He lifted his shoulders and raised his hands. "Yeah well, it seems like your little mind thing makes it easier for me."

Sam's face scrunched in confusion, this didn't really make sense, he had thought they were dealing with vampires.

"You are!" The pale man replied and walked around to stand at the foot of the bed. The shadowy man placed his hand over his mouth mimicking a shocked expression. "What?...how did you?...did you just.. Yes Sam, I just read your thoughts."

Sam groaned again, black spots appeared before him and he felt as though he may truly pass out this time.

"I said relax! What is with you humans?!? This," He pointed to his head. "This takes practise, it usually only works when I feed …but you…" He bit his lip and smirked.

"You're special, I felt that before I even set eyes on you. I can read you when I'm not feeding, but it appears you're already taken by something. I may not able to turn you. I don't want trouble, but there's no harm in …err …Having a little taste…"

Sam pressed his lips together and breathed deeply through his nose, he fought past the wave of nausea.

"Okay. Enough talk. Be still Sam, unfortunately for you, this is going to hurt." The tall man pressed a razor blade across the young hunter's bare chest, his eyes widened at the sight of the red liquid that seeped from the small incision.

The last few things that Sam felt before passing out were the piercing shots of pain caused from tiny, but multiple incisions that began at his chest and moved down to his inner thigh, bile rose up in his throat and grit his teeth before his body lost the will and he passed out.

------

"Stupid bitch …I would have been here earlier dude, some chick having issues wi…Sam?!?"

Dean dropped the bags when he saw the empty bed, "Sam!"

His heart raced while he moved quickly towards the bathroom.

'_Damn it, not again!' _

Dean paced the room, looking for any signs to his brother's whereabouts. Upon seeing his brother's Jeans and cell phone on the bedside table he panicked even more. There may not have been signs of struggle, but he knew Sam had been taken. He would never have left without his cell _or_ without a note.

'_Fuck!'_

Dean concentrated on keeping calm, he could feel his anger boiling within him.

"Tristan." He breathed out viciously.

Without a second thought, Dean raced out of the door towards the Impala. An angry Dean was never a good thing, especially when it came to his family, namely his brother. After a large number of unanswered calls to Tristan's cell, followed by a number of violent and threatening voice messages, Dean had gone back into the café and obtained directions to Tristan's home.

---

He may not have been told the exact location, but Dean was prepared to knock on every door. Hell, he would knock _down_ every door at this point. He was pissed, it worried him as to what he may do to Tristan should he find him.

It was at that point that he heard his cell ring. With lightning speed he checked the caller ID and immediately answered.

"Sammy? Where are you? Are you hurt?"

"Deee…Dean please…I'm at the motel, I err…hurry, just get here soon…"

Dean was already on his way towards the car, he listened as Sam whimpered on the other end.

"I'm coming Sammy…I'll be there any minute now…"

**xxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**I've done it again haven't I? Sorry…Felt like the right place to stop. Thanks so much for reading! Please let me know what you think and review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary:** Bruised, tired and mentally exhausted from their previous hunt, the boys decide to take a break before they look for the next one. Unfortunately for them, their next hunt finds them first. Contains mature material.

**AN: **Thanks so much for your reviews and comments, I didn't have time to get round to reply you personally but I am grateful for all of them. Sorry about the short length of the last one. I try my best with the updates, life's just got so busy for me lately, my plan was to be one chapter ahead but it's kinda caught up with me so now I aim for at least once a week update, I'll try harder to make sure their on time…

**Note**: Near the end, the italics, are part of Sam's dream, but it's also his memory of bits that actually happened.

**Warnings **– Some naughty language here and there, and err how shall I put it... suggestive behaviour?

**Disclaimer:** sigh no, I don't own them, I don't own much, in fact there have been questions surrounding the ownership of my mind. However, saying that, any characters you don't recognize have come from my head.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Keep close but keep quiet

As if an angel graced us all up in our hands

Redefine close to tears

It looked painful like I secretly feared

What I mean to say is you talked me round

Don't look back on the luck you found

I mean well I steal

I see violence in the corner of your eye

Make sense of what you feel

There's a danger in every story and every smile

What I mean to say is you talked me round

Don't look back on the luck you found

What I mean to say is you tore me down

But don't look back on the luck you found

The luck you found

**South - Keep close**

_**Previously:**_

_He may not have been told the exact location, but Dean was prepared to knock on every door. Hell, he would knock __down__ every door at this point. He was pissed, it worried him as to what he may do to Tristan should he find him. It was at that point that he heard his cell ring. With lightning speed he checked the caller ID and immediately answered. _

_"Sammy? Where are you? Are you hurt?"_

_"Deee…Dean please…I'm at the motel, I err…hurry, just get here soon…"_

_Dean was already on his way towards the car, he listened as Sam whimpered on the other end. "I'm coming Sammy…I'll be there any minute now…"_

**Chapter 10**

Dean shot out of the car, keys in hand and headed straight for the door to their motel room. It had only been eight minutes since Sam had called. It surprised him how quickly he managed to get back, but somehow it still didn't feel quick enough.

It had been eight minutes that Sam needed him, eight minutes more that his little brother had been missing. He took a deep breath trying to calm himself. Dean turned the key and handle of the door while applying pressure to push it open.

His eyes scanned the room. "Sammy?"

He stepped in and shut the door behind him. Not seeing Sam straight away, his guard was up, while his hand had already made its way to hover over his gun that was tucked in the back of his jeans. Dean noticed the light in the bathroom, he rushed toward the slightly ajar door and slowly, but cautiously slid it open.

"Hey, Sammy?" He spoke softly, trying not to startle Sam.

He let out a sympathetic sigh while he observed the sight before him. Dean crouched down next to his partially clothed brother. Sam was curled in on himself with his arms gripped around his legs and his head rested against his knees. The older Winchester placed his hand on Sam's hunched shoulder, and withdrew immediately when Sam flinched and moved away.

"It's okay Sammy, I'm here."

"De…" Sam inhaled another sob and attempted to raise his head up toward the familiar voice. He only managed to bring his face up and place it into his hands.

Dean delicately put his hand on Sam's shoulder.

"It's gonna be okay… You're safe now…" Dean appeared slightly relieved when his brother accepted the touch.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up huh?" Dean asked taking in the numerous nicks and cuts over his brother's back, arms and legs.

'_Whoever did this is going to pay.' _Dean thought.

He began calculating the plans of how he would make sure the thing that did this to Sam would die. This was personal. He decided that it would be a slow, terrible and excruciating death for hurting his baby brother.

His attention was brought back to Sam who groaned miserably to himself.

"Let me help you to bed. I'll get you cleaned up there." Dean carefully placed his hands on Sam's arm and hugged his brother into his hold. He gently lifted him to his feet and wrapped his other hand around Sam's waist.

"Sorry Sammy…Nearly there" Dean gritted his teeth and tried to take more of Sam's weight. He felt his little brother's body tremble and shiver with exhaustion.

"I gotcha…Come on"

--

Dean gently placed Sam onto his bed, he held him for a moment to make sure he could sit up on his own.

"Hang on, I'm gonna do your back first, then you can lay back, okay?"

Dean shot up and rushed into the bathroom again. He quickly gathered a small towel along with the first aid kit that he was glad they had brought in earlier. He would have hated to leave his brother alone even a second longer.

Sam hadn't moved from the position Dean had left him in. He was hunched over with his head hung low.

"Don't worry Sammy, we'll figure this out…I'm gonna patch you up and you can tell me what happened." Dean stopped when he saw his brothers eyes widen with fear.

"S'okay Sam, take your time, you can tell me what you remember and we'll piece all this together." Dean spoke reassuringly and placed the cotton ball soaked with antiseptic against one of the many cuts on Sam's back.

When Sam flinched he bit his lip and cursed under his breath, "Sorry."

Dean watched his brother's actions, Sam kept his head low and seemed not quite 'with it.'

"Sammy I do need to ask you something. I need you to try and remember. Did the things bite you anywhere, was there any blood contact?"

Dean focussed on his brother's sullen face for an answer, Sam remained still, he released a tear that bounced onto to the blanket covering the bed, after receiving no vocal answer and assuming that as a response, Dean's mind began to race and he panicked.

"Okay. It'll be okay... we'll err… we'll figure this out, and call Bobby! Yeah there's a solution, it's not too late!" Dean rubbed his hand over his mouth.

"Shit!" Before he could move, he felt Sam's tight grip on his wrist.

"He…" Sam swallowed. "He didn't bite me…I'm not infected…" Sam's gaze fell back down toward the bed.

Dean almost relaxed under his brother's touch. His heart rate slowed as he processed what Sam had said, that had been one of the main fears for his brother, Sam wasn't infected. He would be fine, he could fix this It was through these thoughts that he asked himself another question.

'_what the hell have they done to Sam? If they didn't turn him then why…' _

"Sam, why did they do this to you?" Dean pointed toward some of the wounds, his hand hovering over them as he voiced his thoughts and continued to tend to his brother's injuries.

"Sam?"

Sam turned away from his brother's gaze.

"Not _they,_ he! There was only one." Sam sniffed. "it.._he_ wanted to … I don't know what he wants from me." Sam sucked in another breath and moaned. "But I know why... I think." Sam turned and faced his brother with needy eyes .

"He _knew_ Dean!...He …he knew about me…and my shining… the demon…everything... He could read my thoughts." Sam shook his head as more tears poured and spilled over his cheeks.

"… I couldn't move Dean! …and he…"

The tears were freely flowing now as the youngest Winchester gave into his emotions.

"What did he do…?"

'_What the hell he do to you, Sammy?' _Dean's thoughts left a sour taste in his mouth. Part of him didn't like the possibilities to the answer of that question. He suddenly felt sick to his stomach and tried his best to concentrate on his main priority.

He watched helplessly as his brother fell apart. Dean cursed again under his breath several times.

"Shh… It's gonna be okay Sammy"

-----------------

Sam felt somewhat 'safe,' now that Dean was beside him. As long as things remained that way, he knew it would be okay. He trusted Dean with his life and knew his older brother would never let anything happen to him.

Sam had managed calm himself, with Dean's help. He lay on his sore back while he allowed his brother to tend to his wounds. They stung like hell, he would never have thought that tiny little cuts could hurt so much.

Sam had been hurt plenty of times before, sporting some very serious injuries. Not that this was the worst, but it would be high up there. The cuts were small and fine but every movement caused them to widen and spilt open further, it just was surprised him how much these tiny cuts hurt, it also probably had to do with the fact that there were so many of them, it felt like his skin was on fire.

When he stopped thinking about the pain, all the other thoughts and memories plagued his already fragile mind. Sam knew he would have to think about what had happened eventually, but it was too soon. He wanted to push this to the back of him mind and leave it there, preferably forever.

Sam's mind, however, had other plans. The young Winchester tried his best to fight off fatigue but his weakened body wouldn't hold out any more and he drifted off to a sub-conscious state…

_"Good to see you awake again. I was beginning to think you would miss out on all the fun." The tall man stood over Sam who lay rigid in the bed below. _

_"Oh, that was just ahh mmm…So good Sam!" Sam swallowed the build up of saliva in his mouth, he watched the man lick his fingers._

_"I'll tell you, I could get used to this…have you whenever I want…feed off you…you have so much…goodness!" The tall stranger placed his hand on his chin. _

_"It's time to go back…until next time that is…" He smirked._

_"There wont be a next time you son of bitch, wait till my brother gets you…You'll be gone before you know what hit you!" Sam spoke with venom and ground his teeth with anger. _

_"No. You see, you're wrong Sam, I can get into your head, __whenever__ I want. I can make you come to me… there's nothing that you can do to stop me…"_

_Sam breathed heavily while the man drew in closer to his face. _

_"He hurts me, I hurt you. That's just the way it works Sammy." The man drew in a lingering breath and grasped Sam's chin roughly. He slid his tongue out toward Sam's face. Sam grimaced and fought away from him._

_"Fuck You! He'll slice your head clean off!" _

_"Now, now Sam, there's no need for that!"_

_Sam fought harder only to find his body was yet again helplessly frozen, he squeezed his eyes shut, hoping that when he opened them everything that was happening would just disappear. When he opened his eyes, unfortunately, that was not the case as he was still on the same bed frozen in his own body. _

_"Dean!"_

----

"Dean!...Dee..Dean!"

"Shh, I'm right here Sam, you're just dreaming." Dean held onto Sam's shoulders. He searched his brother's eyes.

"Sam, what were you dreaming about?"

Dean desperately looked to see if Sam was fully awake and understanding him, he had been trying to wake Sam for a good five minutes.

"Dean…you… you can't leave me kay?... I can't be alone… he'll make me go…he'll take me again." Sam panted, out of breath from speaking.

Dean shook his head. "I won't leave Sam, he's not coming near you again, I'll make sure of that."

**xxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**Thanks so much for reading! So what did you think? Please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary:** Bruised, tired and mentally exhausted from their previous hunt, the boys decide to take a break before they look for the next one. Unfortunately for them, their next hunt finds them first. Contains mature material.

**AN:** AW smiles thanks for all your reviews, glad you liked the last chapter, more of the same to come in this story so hope you enjoy…

**Note:** At this point, I thought I should just clarify, these vampires I have invented are slightly different to your 'normal' ones, hence having 'psychic' abilities. I have blended two myths, a 'human' psychic Vampire with a traditional 'blood' sucking vampire. I have 'googled' more info to help with some background:

"_Intentional Psychic Vampires_: Intentional Psychic Vampires are humans whom possess great telepathic abilities. They use these abilities to knowingly draw the life force from others. These vampires seek out victims whom they can interact with in order to create strong emotions in these victims, sexual intercourse usually being the biggest. At the peak of climax, the vampire will then absorb mental energy from the victims' aura. Some other vampires usually try a more subtle approach. They will attack the victim whilst they sleep. This often causes vivid dreams in which the victim will awake feeling drained and tired. A death from a Psychic Vampire is rare however."

Big thanks to my beta Michelle!

**Warnings **– Again, Naughty language …

**Disclaimer:** sigh no, I don't own them, I don't own much, in fact there have been questions surrounding the ownership of my mind. However, saying that, any characters you don't recognize have come from my head.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tonight I'm tangled in my blanket of clouds

Dreaming aloud

Things just won't do without you, matter of fact

I'm on your back, I'm on your back, I'm on your back

If you walk out on me, I'm walking after you

If you'd accept surrender, I'll give up some more

Weren't you adored

I cannot be without you, matter of fact

I'm on your back, I'm on your back, I'm on your back

If you walk out on me, I'm walking after you

Another heart is cracked in two, I'm on your back

_**Foo fighters - walking after you**_

**Previously:**

_"Dean!...Dee..Dean!"_

_"Shh, I'm right here Sam, you're just dreaming." _

_Dean held onto Sam's shoulders. He searched his brother's eyes. _

_"Sam, what were you dreaming about?" Dean desperately looked to see if Sam was fully awake and understanding him, he had been trying to wake Sam for a good five minutes._

_"Dean…you… you can't leave me kay?... I can't be alone… he'll make me go…he'll take me again." Sam panted, out of breath from speaking._

_Dean shook his head._

_"I won't leave Sam, he's not coming near you again, I'll make sure of that."_

**Chapter 11**

"Lucas, where've you been?" Tristan took a long pull off his cigarette before quickly scrunching it into the ash tray. He stood up from the small table near the window and walked towards his brother.

"Lucas?" Tristan went to grab the older man before he walked away. "Hey! Man, I asked you something!"

The older man roughly shoved the hand off and walked away from the nagging voice.

"Piss off Tristan!"

"I've been trying to call you! Anthony has requested you. He didn't sound happy about something, and it looks like the hunters are going to cause us trouble…" Tristan stopped and looked into his brothers eyes for a long moment.

"Shit! What have you done?...You fed didn't you? Why are you hiding it from me…you know you can't block me out, don't make me dig for it. I will if I have to!" Tristan spoke lightly and followed the older man into the small darkened room.

Tristan tried to grab hold of the other man again, but was caught of guard when he was shoved hard against the wall.

"Stay the fuck out of my head and out of my business! Don't make me say that again, Tristan!"

Lucas shoved the younger man harder against the wall before he released his collar. Tristan slid down slightly before he straightened his shirt and tried to slow and calm his panting, he stared daggers into the back of the man as he walked back into the room before slamming the door shut.

-------------------

He failed Sam. Again. Their last hunt had gone ...well that hadn't gone so well and now this one wasn't going according to plan either and it seemed like his little brother was paying the price yet again.

Dean sat at the foot of the bed watching over the younger Winchester. He had been seated there, in the same position for over forty minutes now and his aching thigh warned him that he should get up or at least switch positions. He began to feel the second wave of pins and needles that caused a warm, yet uncomfortable sensation to travel through his legs.

Dean ignored these feelings. Sam needed him, his little brother needed the connection, needed to feel safe and protected. So Dean had done what came naturally, he would protect Sam to the end. With his body tense, rigid and on guard, his mind continued planning their next move.

------

Sam kept his eyes closed. He was not asleep and had no intentions to either. Sleep was not safe. sleep detached him from the one person he could trust and right now he really needed his brother. He felt Dean close to him on the bed and that was almost enough for his body to give into the pending fatigue.

An hour later, possibly more, he couldn't tell, his heart almost stopped when the bed dipped momentarily and Dean stood up. Using his hearing and the silence of the room, Sam focussed on his brother's movements, listening for any signs of danger. He heard the TV turn on to a low hum in the background, followed by the recognisable beep of the laptop starting up and with that he released a sigh that he camouflaged as a slight stir, pulling the covers up higher.

A Yawn forced its way through him. Sam was tired, his body felt weak and achy not to mention that the Ibuprofen Dean had given him an hour ago had already peaked and began to drain from his system. Everything hurt, his head, his back, his stomach, come to think of it, there wasn't any part of his body he didn't feel a dull throbbing pain in.

The younger Winchester's mind hovered over his encounter with the vampire, well at least that's what he thought it was. Sam swallowed hard. He still wasn't ready to re-live that memory. The thought of it alone made him groan.

"You need anything?" Sam lifted his head as his eyes slit open slightly to see Dean smile back at him. "What?...I know you're not asleep Sam, come on man, I can almost _hear_ you thinking." Dean chuckled to himself.

The oldest brother straightened his face and drew his attention back Sam's confused, and what appeared to be troubled, gaze.

"Hey, you wanna talk about it... You know, what happened?…" Dean gently asked.

Sam shook his head and turned away. Dean watched his brother's reaction and sighed to himself.

"Okay… well ... How are you feeling? You want something to eat...drink?"

Sam continued to stare at the wall, away from his brother's eyes.

"Sam?" Dean asked, slightly confused by his brother's behaviour.

"Don't leave me alone Dean?... Please…What he did, I Can't take it again, if he gets me …I…" Sam stopped when his voice faded away and was replaced a hiccupped sob.

"Hey." Dean stood and walked over to Sam. He stood in front of his brother and bent down to look at his face.

"Hey, listen I'm not going to leave you Sam, and this Vampire thing, whatever the fuck it is, will be dead before he sees me coming. He'll pay for whatever he's done to you…" Dean looked at Sam's face to see if his little brother was taking it all in.

"That's a promise Sammy…" Dean rubbed a hand across his mouth. "And … err…when you're ready to talk …you know …about whatever happened… you know you can always talk to me man…I can tell something's really bothering you…I…" Sam cleared his throat, stopping his brother from completing the sentence.

"Thanks Dean." Sam tried to sit up, but his body protested at the sudden movement and he slid back down to the previous position.

"Watch yourself…" Dean grabbed Sam and placed a hand gently on his back while he helped him onto pillows that he began to ruffle together so his brother could sit up slightly.

The younger Winchester grunted and nodded his thanks, he discretely and unconsciously ushered him away. Dean backed up and impatiently rubbed his hands over his Jeans. Sam realised what he had done and immediately felt guilty when he watched Dean retreat.

"Actually Dean, I am pretty hungry…" Sam released a soft sideways grin.

"It's cold, but still edible...I think." Dean smirked and walked away toward a bag near the door. After picking it up, he went back over to Sam.

"I may even have something in here you may like …" Dean rummaged through the bag intensely, pulled out a bottle of fruit juice, followed by two caramel topped flapjacks.

"Chick food, your favourite!" He released a quick grin as he ducked a cold fry that flew past his head.

"Jerk."

-------------------

Both brothers sat on their beds and ate, Dean devouring his once hot burger, with extra onions, while Sam took a couple of bites from the mildly warm burger that he chewed several times before swallowing.

He looked down at the remainder, wrapped it back up and went for the juice and a few bites of the flapjack. While his stomach grumbled greedily at the food that came slowly. He grimaced as he swallowed, he may have felt hungry physically, but his mind told him otherwise and he felt very nauseous at ingesting anymore than he needed to.

---

When Dean finished, he washed his mouthful down the last of his Pepsi and belched loudly.

"Nice, Dean. Thanks." Sam grimaced, only adding to his queasiness.

"You're welcome." Dean smiled ,proud and satisfied.

He then went towards the laptop, picked it up, and took it over to Sam's bed.

"I found a little more about these fucking creatures. Now there are a few legends of vampires, Dracula… who have had mind power over their victims, getting them to draw closer, lay still etcetera, but…" Dean tilted his head and twisted his screen to show Sam the display. "Things just don't tie up. For one, the patterns of the victims in this town, seems …I don't know, I'm gonna call Bobby on this one…" Dean stood and reached his hand into his pocket for his phone. He watched Sam's eyes anxiously follow him. "Until we figure out what or how this thing has control, I'm not letting you out of my sight, sorry bro…we're Siamese twins remember?" Dean winked at Sam who relaxed at his words.

Sam sighed.

"God, Dean it's conjoined…conjoined twins" He playfully shook his head.

TBC

**xxxxxxxxxxxx**

**Thanks so much for reading! Please review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary**: Bruised, tired and mentally exhausted from their previous hunt, the boys decide to take a break before they look for the next one. Unfortunately for them, their next hunt finds them first. Contains mature material.

**AN: **Thank you all for your reviews…

Big thanks to my beta Michelle!

**Warnings** – Again, Naughty language …

**Disclaimer:** sigh no, I don't own them, I don't own much, in fact there have been questions surrounding the ownership of my mind. However, saying that, any characters you don't recognize have come from my head.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Rows of houses, all bearing down on me  
I can feel their blue hands touching me  
All these things into position  
All these things we'll one day swallow whole  
And fade out again and fade out

This machine will, will not communicate  
These thoughts and the strain I am under  
Be a world child, form a circle  
Before we all go under  
And fade out again and fade out again

Cracked eggs, dead birds  
Scream as they fight for life  
I can feel death, can see its beady eyes  
All these things into position  
All these things we'll one day swallow whole  
And fade out again and fade out again

**Radiohead - street spirit**

_Previously: _

_He then went towards the laptop, picked it up, and took it over to Sam's bed. _

_"I found a little more about these fucking creatures. Now there are a few legends of vampires, Dracula… who have had mind power over their victims, getting them to draw closer, lay still etcetera, but…" Dean tilted his head and twisted his screen to show Sam the display. "Things just don't tie up. For one, the patterns of the victims in this town, seems …I don't know, I'm gonna call Bobby on this one…" _

_Dean stood and reached his hand into his pocket for his phone. He watched Sam's eyes anxiously follow him._

_"Until we figure out what or how this thing has control, I'm not letting you out of my sight, sorry bro…we're Siamese twins remember?" Dean winked at Sam who relaxed at his words. _

_Sam sighed. _

_"God, Dean it's conjoined…conjoined twins" He playfully shook his head. _

**Chapter 12**

"Thanks Bobby, let me know as soon as you find out anything else." Dean slid his phone shut and spun around to face Sam.

"Well Bobby has managed to shed a lot of light on our 'physic' vampires, I tell you, that man is a walking encyclopedia." Dean smiled as he sat facing Sam on the end of the young Winchester's bed.

"Turns out that these type of vamps have been around for a while, some date back to as far as two hundred years ago. From what Bobby said, he thinks there aren't many of them left and they tend to travel in small groups and have one prominent leader, usually the eldest…" Dean paused and brought his leg up onto the bed. He watched Sam for a moment to see if his brother was following.

"Now if we can find the leader and destroy him, Bobby thinks we have a real chance of getting rid of the lot…" Dean stopped with a look of concern, the information seemed to by going straight through Sam as he remained with the same blank expression.

"Hey…" Dean snapped his fingers in front of Sam's face. Sam snapped out of his gaze and cleared his throat, "Sorry, you were saying?"

"Talk to me man, I need you to help me out on this too. I gotta know what's going on in that head of yours…" Dean lightly slapped Sam's thigh after which he grimaced when he saw his brother's face scrunch up in pain.

"Sorry Sammy" Dean's hands hovered over Sam's shoulders unsure if he could touch him without causing any further discomfort.

Sam looked into his brothers concerned eyes, he was so grateful for Dean's presence, but still, he felt himself disconnecting. It was completely unintentional and it seemed to be his body's and mind's way of coping with what had happened. Sam closed his eyes for a long moment. He swallowed the thoughts along with the bile that rose in his throat.

"Sammy, you okay?" Dean stood as he watched Sam's face pale. He knew that look and what was to follow, his hand immediately went for the trash can in-between the beds. Sam lowered his head and began taking unsteady, deep breaths. He kept his eyes closed and concentrated on overcoming the sensation. He swallowed several times before he spoke.

"I'm good… I think." A minute later Dean relaxed his tense position and placed the trash can back to the ground. Sam nodded to emphasize that he was truly over his nauseous phase.

Sam kept his head low, but could feel Dean's eyes on him.

"I must have eaten too fast, I think I just need to rest." With that he began to lower his frame towards the pillows.

Dean moved closer and made sure Sam had a comforted landing. Dean returned to Sam's side with a glass in one hand and two pills held out on the other. His offer was unspoken and the two watched each other for a moment before Sam took the pills and placed them in his mouth, With Dean's help he lifted his head to wash them down with some water.

Dean lowered Sam once again. He nodded and pulled the covers over his brother.

'_I'll give you your time, Sammy, but you'd better talk about whatever's bothering you sooner or later.'_ The unspoken thoughts went through Dean's mind as he watched little bother's eyes slowly close.

-------

Dean bit his bottom lip, got up and walked to the end of the room and back again. He stopped on the second round and stopped to watch Sam's 'sleeping' form. Sam had been laying silently for about two hours, and Dean had managed to come up with a plan for the next move. That however, was not his main concern at the moment.

Dean sat down again and brought the laptop to his thighs. His leg bobbed up and down causing the screen to jitter with the movement. He concentrated on the screen, trying to read the words in front of him.

"Damn it!" he cursed under his breath and quickly stood up again. Dean went to stand at the bathroom door and looked over the two beds, namely to the bed where Sam lay.

He mentally began measuring the distance and view from the bathroom door. Dean walked into the small, lit room and popped his head out again to look at the position of his brother. He went into the bathroom and pushed the door shut slightly. A split second later he felt himself panic, his heart rate picking up almost immediately at not being able to see Sam. This wasn't going to work.

"Dean?" Sam asked calmly, his eyes still closed. The response Sam got was a grunt to which he slid one eye open over to where Dean stood between the beds and bathroom door.

"What is it Dean?" Sam opened both eyes and shifted his weight to his side.

"Nothing!" Dean answered quickly. Sam watched Dean's face distort, followed by a suppressed groan.

"Dean?" there was concern in Sam's voice as he tried to sit up.

"Okay, here's the thing, I really gotta go," The older Winchester tilted his head towards the bathroom. "And I gotta have you in view." Dean pressed his lips together, "Well at least, I gotta hear your still in this side of this room."

Sam nodded he understood that perfectly, but what he thought strange was that Dean had a problem with going with the door open. That was something, much to Sam's annoyance, that he did on occasion, usually when he was too drunk to care. The two stared at each other for brief moment, hoping they could communicate without words. Well that's what Dean had hoped. So much for this 'Siamese' thing.

Sam, however wasn't on the same page. He lifted his brow in question to the next move.

"This is really awkward dude." Dean started, then cleared his throat. "I gotta …you know.. make a deposit." The oldest Winchester muttered quietly.

Sam made a face as he processed Dean's 'dilemma.' "Uh...oh!" Sam clued in.

"Yeah! You see my problem..." Dean widened his eyes before continuing. "So, I thought you could sit there by the table, your back faced to me, and that way I can see you from the bathroom with the door a crack open." Dean wore a serious, but desperate face as he gestured towards the table.

Sam nodded, the truth was, he didn't care what Dean would suggest as long as they remained in each others view, it was all that mattered, even if it did cause a little embarrassment.

"Yeah sure. Sure, I can do that." He went to sit up, wincing as he felt the skin on one if his cuts pull at the movement. Dean took hold of Sam's shoulder and began the walk over to the table.

Once Sam was seated, Dean rushed the laptop over to the table before dashing into the bathroom.

"I'll be out in… in a bit…" Dean spat out his words quickly.

Sam rolled his eyes. "Ri..ght Dean… I guess I should get comfortable then…"

---

The phone vibrated across the table in front of him. It was followed by the loud tune of Dean's ring tone. He watched it move towards the end of table. He went to turn his head back to Dean, who was still in the bathroom.

"Dude, turn around! Can you get that phone? ... It's probably Bobby!" Sam snapped his head back quickly, and thankfully at Dean's order. That wasn't a sight he wanted to see again.

He picked up the phone and stared at the screen flashing 'Bobby'.

"Hey Bobby…"

"Sam? … Is everything okay? Where's Dean?" Bobby's voice began to race.

"Yeah, we're okay, Dean's err…not able to come to the phone at the moment." Sam smirked as he heard Bobby sigh.

"Okay, well, I found some more information. It's not uncommon for the group of vamps to have a human, a gofer, someone they use to get information to use for their needs and stuff. Now, this person will usually be young, working nights and have a marking on their body. Find him and you can find the lot!" Bobby took a deep breath.

"Sam? … Make sure you stay with Dean at all times okay?" Bobby waited to hear if the younger Winchester was still listening, it had been quiet on his end for a few minutes now.

"Sam?"

"Sorry. Yeah Bobby I hear ya…"

"Is that brother of yours out of the bathroom yet?" As if on queue, the unmistakable sound of water flushing could be heard, followed by Dean calling out to Sam.

"Yeah he's just coming Bobby…" Sam chuckled.

Playfully, the older Winchester dropped the hand towel over Sam's head and grabbed the phone from his loose grip.

----

Dean had received all the information, plus more about what they might have wanted with Sam from Bobby. The older hunter had not wanted to upset the fragile sounding youngest Winchester while they were on the phone.

Dean was reeling when he got off the phone, it wasn't directed to Sam or Bobby for being the messenger, he was just mad. The brothers shared their thoughts and concluded that they knew and had already met the 'human gofer.'

With that in mind, they prepared themselves for an encounter with Tristan, who in Dean's mind would have a lot of explaining to do.

"I don't care whether he's human or a vampire! As far as I'm concern he's still a little piece of shit! And he will pay for involving you Sam!" Dean checked his weapon for the fifth time, he was nervous for his brother's safety, but the anger overtook all his emotions and he gestured to Sam towards the door.

Sam stood with his hands in his pocket. It was the only thing that would keep his hand from trembling, that and the fact he hand his hand gripped onto his gun.

"Shit!" Dean raised his head and ran his hand over his face before he met the concerned and now scared looking younger brother.

"If we're gonna be here for a bit, we're gonna have to hustle us some money tonight." Dean sighed and went to open the door.

Sam nodded, it was all he could do at the moment, his voice would come out too weak, not to mention he was afraid to open his mouth without throwing up. The younger hunter followed Dean, he stood close to the left of his brother as he did when they were younger.

Sam had been so deep in his thoughts that he crashed into his brother's side when Dean had abruptly stopped. His gaze fixed on the man being served at the desk. He ushered himself and his brother out of view as they watched his movements. It was then that Sam recognised the man's identity.

"Tristan?"

**xxxxxxxxxxx**

**Thanks so much for reading! Please review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary:** Bruised, tired and mentally exhausted from their previous hunt, the boys decide to take a break before they look for the next one. Unfortunately for them, their next hunt finds them first. Contains mature material.

**AN: **Hope your still enjoying this story?Thanks you to those who took time to review, I appreciate your comments, all reviews help so much!

Big thanks to my beta Michelle!

_Warnings –Naughty language _…

**Disclaimer: **sigh no, I don't own them, I don't own much, in fact there have been

questions surrounding the ownership of my mind. However, saying that, any characters you don't recognize have come from my head.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

We see you laugh  
We see you dance  
We take that away  
Every day

We see you cry  
We turn your head  
Then we slap your face

We see you try  
We see you fail  
Some things never change

We hear you cry  
We hear you wail  
We steal that smile from your face

Bow down to live  
Your life  
Head down, hide that smile  
Head high got to smile

Head high like a song you like

**Soundgarden - head down**

_Previously_:

Sam nodded, it was all he could do at the moment, his voice would come out too weak, not to mention he was afraid to open his mouth without throwing up. The younger hunter followed Dean, he stood close to the left of his brother as he did when they were younger.

Sam had been so deep in his thoughts that he crashed into his brother's side when Dean had abruptly stopped. His gaze fixed on the man being served at the desk. He ushered himself and his brother out of view as they watched his movements. It was then that Sam recognised the man's identity.

"Tristan?"

**Chapter 13**

"Shh" Dean snapped and grabbed Sam's wrist. He lowered his frame along with his younger brother the whole time his eyes and ears were firmly set on their target.

--

"Like I said, I know my friend is staying here." Tristan placed his hands on to the counter and stared at the motel manager.

"I don't know how many times I'm gonna say this, I can't give out that information, 'sides if you're such a 'good friend' why can't you call him or something?" The motel manager questioned his brow raised as he realised he had made a great point.

"Look, he had too much drink, left his cell behind! So I can't ring him, but I know he's here. I'll refresh your memory, I'm looking for a young man named Sam Winchester." Tristan's smile faded along with his patience, it was at this point that he realised that the motel manager was not going to grant him his request and he would have to do things the hard way.

Sam watched the older hunter flinch at the name spoken by the man in the motel reception. Dean muttered some whispered curses while he released the safety on his gun and Sam was sure he heard the word 'dead' among the numerous rambling.

Dean's breathing was deep and slowed, he could see his older brother was trying hard to stay calm. He instinctively grabbed his shoulder in response.

"Well I can tell you now, you're wasting your time, there's no 'Winchester' here, so unless you're planning on booking a room, get the hell outta here cause I told you already, I don't want any trouble." the motel manger stood taller and matched the intense glare.

"That's it." Dean stood up, being careful to stay out of view. He briefly faced Sam before his attention was back on Tristan. "I've heard enough, that man is dead." Dean saw the fright that travelled through the young man before him, Sam looked very pale.

"First we get some answers" He added, "Stay behind me, stay close!" There was no hiding it, Sam was scared, his heart was beating hard against his chest. He could hardly breathe, making him feel very light headed.

'_Get a grip.'_ He thought to himself.

Sam released his safety and followed Dean who etched closer to the entrance of the reception. Tristan inhaled loudly and pushed himself away from the counter, he backed up staring daggers into the man before him.

"Fine!" He replied before turning his back to walk out of the small lobby. He pulled out a cigarette that he placed between his lips and flipped his lighter, ready to ignited the stick in his mouth. The flame wavered and before he could register what had hit him he was up against the wall with a blinding pain on his arm. It was followed by the smell of singed hair and flesh, his flesh. He went to cry out in pain, but was stopped by the strong hand that pressed his mouth shut.

He felt hot tears run from his eyes while the burning sensation continued.

"You're lucky I need you alive a for while!" Dean grit his teeth and pushed him hard against the wall. He closed the lighter and placed it into his pocket. He quickly turned his head to look at Sam.

Sam watched the events that played out in front of him, it all seemed to happen in slow motion and the ground beneath him felt like jelly or was it his legs? He wasn't quite sure. Breathing, however had become a difficult task and he concentrated on two things, staying as close to Dean as safely possible and staying conscious. The second was becoming harder to do. Dean sighed when he saw his brother, he could tell Sam was close to passing out.

'_Damn it.'_ He thought to himself, he wasn't angry at Sam, but rather at the situation, this was really not a good time.

"Sam, we're going back to the room." Dean jerked his head to the direction of their room. He grabbed more of Tristan's shirt up against his neck, "You try anything…" Dean felt no need to finish the sentence, the look on Tristan's face confirmed this.

Sam nodded and began the short walk back towards their room, he began panting and counting the steps.

'_I can make it.' _He repeated over and over to himself.

Dean followed his younger brother, giving him just enough room to be safely away from the man in his grip and at the same time, enough room to catch him should Sam fall before getting back to their room.

Sam stood with one of his hands on the door frame, the other with the key held in his grip. He made another attempt to connect it to the key hole and failed again. Sam swallowed hard, he closed his eyes for brief moment, when he opened them he placed the key into the hand held out in front of him. Dean unlocked the door and waited for Sam to stumble in ahead before shoving Tristan inside.

The older Winchester slammed the door shut and walked himself and Tristan towards the small table, he roughly pulled out a chair while commanded him.

"Sit!" The older hunter watched Tristan hesitate and shoved him down in the chair, grabbing tightly around the burn on the bartender's arm. Dean turned his head to see Sam standing close behind him, the youngest brother rocked dangerously forward.

"Whoa, you too Sam. Sit down and I'll be with you in a minute." Dean spoke slightly softer, however it was an order that Sam also obeyed with a weak nod. He cautiously lowered himself to the bed and shuffled back to rest against the head board.

Dean had been thankful that he had brought in the bag containing some of their weapons and provisions, including the rope that he used to secure Tristan firmly to the chair. Once he was confident that the captive was securely tied down, he turned his attention to his younger brother who now had his eyes closed and his head rested against the wall.

"Sammy?" Dean uncapped a bottle of water, he moved to place a hand on his brother's shoulder. Upon seeing the glassy eyes that met his, he smiled and offered the water.

"How are you doing kiddo?" He asked in a hushed tone that was soft and caring, making the younger Winchester swallow the lump in his throat.

Sam fought with himself, knowing they had Tristan to deal with, hell they had a whole group of vampires that for some reason wanted his blood. Sam was close to breaking point. He closed his eyes briefly, just wanting everything to go away and when he opened them, he saw Tristan's desperate eyes behind his brother's shoulder. He took a deep breath and straightened.

"I'll be okay, Dean." Sam took the water and sipped it slowly. "Thanks." He whispered before tilting his head towards the man sat behind them.

Dean squeezed his brother's shoulder and stood, he advanced towards the table. "I'm gonna remove the gag, you speak when I say you can! Is that clear?" Dean stood, towering over the young captive who nodded in response. When the gag was removed he released a few coughs before looking up at the tall hunter.

"Sam… He's going to get Sam if you don't get out of here… That's what I came to tell yooo…" Dean held the man's face roughly with his lips scrunched together, Dean drew close to the man's eyes, gritting his teeth as he spoke.

"Didn't I make myself clear? I said you talk when I say you can."

"Dean…let him…" Dean turned briefly to see Sam's desperate eyes.

Tristan looked warily at both men before finishing.

"Lucas." Tristan looked to Sam then back down towards the floor in a shameful manner. "My brother, he's already tasted Sam, I know him and he'll want more, that and…"

"And What?!" Dean snapped impatiently.

"And Anthony knows. He knows about you, about your connections and that's why he wants you both gone, one way or another…" Tristan saw Dean's face and turned his head to the ground again.

"Funny you should mention that, I was thinking the exact same thing, except I'm pretty sure about how I want _you_ 'gone'…" Dean smirked before straightening his face.

"Sam's very vulnerable, with his abilities and Lucas's abilities, he can use them to get hold of Sam whenever he wants…" Tristan jerked towards the shrieking sound that was heard outside of the room. Dean cocked his gun up in defence, aiming towards the darkness outside, night had fallen upon them quickly. He carefully began to move over to where Sam lay. Another high pitched shriek filled the room.

"Shit! They found us! Shit, shit, shit!" Tristan cursed while he wriggled and tried to free himself.

Sam felt the sensation travel through his body, it gripped his whole frame and paralysed him to the bed. He could only watch as Dean attempted to bridge the short gap between them. Dean stopped and dropped his weapon, his eyes grew wide and it became clear that none of the three occupants in the room had any control.

It was only a matter of seconds before both his brother and the captive Tristan lost consciousness in front of him. The younger hunter sat helplessly, watching Dean's crumpled form. He tried to cry out to wake his brother, but his cries went unheard. Sam closed his eyes and salty tears rolled down his cheeks to coat trembling lips.

**xxxxxxxxxxx**

**Good? Bad? Ugly? Please let me know…**


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary: **Bruised, tired and mentally exhausted from their previous

hunt, the boys decide to take a break before they look for the next one.

Unfortunately for them, their next hunt finds them first. Contains mature material.

**AN:**** Sorry for the delay, life has been crazy busy! Thank you to those who took time to review, I appreciate your comments, I can't help stress that reviews help so much when it comes to writing!**

Big thanks to my beta Michelle!

_**Warnings: …. language …**_

**Disclaimer: **sigh no, I don't own them, I don't own much, in fact there have been questions surrounding the ownership of my mind. However, saying that, any characters you don't recognize have come from my head.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

_Where is my boy?_

_I saw you come out of a scene_

_Maybe in some kind of dream_

_Something that never comes_

_Time that I take..._

_See over in arms I'll raise_

_I'll race in to find you_

_Time stands_

_I open your eyes to my world_

_I see you come out of it all_

_Unharmed and unscathed_

_And shouting, oh_

_Come on in_

_In houses I live in_

_And changes you're making_

_To the state of affairs_

_Calling "where is my boy?"_

_I have seen you so often_

_I cry "where is my boy?"_

_Oh, have you all forgotten?_

_And in some kind of dream_

_Have I seen you before_

_Oh, have I seen you before?_

_Oh, where is my boy_

_**Cold Play - Where is my boy?**_

_**Previously:**_

_"Shit! They found us! Shit, shit, shit!" Tristan cursed while he wriggled and tried to free himself._

_Sam felt the sensation travel through his body, it gripped his whole frame and paralysed him to the bed. He could only watch as Dean attempted to bridge the short gap between them. Dean stopped and dropped his weapon, his eyes grew wide and it became clear that none of the three occupants in the room had any control._

_It was only a matter of seconds before both his brother and the captive Tristan lost consciousness in front of him. The younger hunter sat helplessly, watching Dean's crumpled form. He tried to cry out to wake his brother, but his cries went unheard. Sam closed his eyes and salty tears rolled down his cheeks to coat trembling lips._

**Chapter 14**

Sam felt disconnected from his body, he felt like dead weight, unable to control any of his actions. He could taste his tears, his eyes were stinging, and he felt the moisture cling to his cheeks, confirming that he was crying. It took a few seconds for him to remember the cause of his anguish and fear, his uncertain, frightened emotions grew when he opened his eyes, scanned his surroundings and found Dean nowhere in sight.

-----

Dean woke with a start and fought with his body and vertigo to point the weapon he had in his hands around the room. He sighed and stood quickly, making his way towards the empty bed where Sam had been only seconds before.

"No, no, no. Not again!" Dean's breath came with struggle as his heart pounded out of fear for his brother.

"Sam?"

Dean placed his trembling hands over his face. He looked at the crumpled sheets where his brother once was and cursed loudly, he growled and kicked the cheap, hollow bed frame with a force that vibrated through the walls of the room. Dean was angry, frustrated and had only one thing in mind and that was to get Sam back.

His attention was diverted to a groan that came from the other side of the room, he directed his raging eyes towards Tristan who was slowly coming to.

"You're going to tell me where Sam is and you're going to tell me now or you'll wish we had never met!"

Without waiting for a reply, there was no need, it wasn't a question or a request, it was an order. Dean raced towards Tristan and began untying the rope restraints.

"Before you open your filthy little mouth, there's something you've got to understand, you fuck with me, you're Dead! You got that?" Dean spat.

The captive nodded and looked up at the fuming hunter with wide, timid eyes.

'_Damn he looks scary'_ Tristan thought to himself, Dean was intimidating before, but now he was sure that this man was not one to mess with, especially when Sam was involved. Tristan had considered not giving the location in fear of what would happen to him after, but it didn't take long to see that there was a danger should he hold any information back from the seething hunter.

Tristan looked down at his feet, he lifted his trembling hands to view them, realizing that he was free from the ropes, and had been for a few minutes. His eyes travelled up again just in time to see the hunter before him unsheathe an extremely long, shiny, and what looked to be very deadly, machete.

Dean gently tested the sharpness of the blade with his thumb, the gentle touch alone drew blood that he wiped on his jeans. He studied the blade, twisting it from side to side before carefully sliding it back into the protective cover. The hunter nodded to himself.

'_Definitely sharp enough for decapitation should I need to use it to slice the head off this joker's shoulders...or I could use it for the vampires.' _He thought with a sort of sick amusement. Dean gathered his bag containing wooden stakes, gasoline, holy water, a crucifix and an empty Jar.

"Right! We're stopping off at the hospital morgue. You take me to wherever those fuckers are, and I get Sam back! Any questions!" Dean gritted through his teeth as he spoke. He grabbed Tristan's arm and walked him towards the door.

-------

Gravity told the young Winchester that he was upright. It also told him that he was being held up by something that felt a lot like a metal. His head drooped over his chest and he watched as blood dripped from his lips onto the ground before him. His legs and feet didn't seem to want to respond and they remained draped on top of each other.

He could taste the coppery tang of blood in his throat, felt the warm liquid seeping up into his mouth and could do nothing but watch it spill out onto the floor in a small puddle. Sam flinched and forced his head up when he heard a hissing sound to his left, he sensed a presence come up from behind him and it was followed by something else that fleetingly brushed past his left. He jerked himself away each time, causing a burning pain to travel through his bare and bruised body. He closed his eyes and tried to ride the wave of nausea that hit him almost instantly.

_"You really shouldn't try to move."_

Sam turned his head, not sure which direction the words were coming from. The young Winchester felt like his head was too heavy and he let it drop low towards the ground. God he wished his brother would hurry up, he wasn't sure how long he could hold on.

_"You won't have to wait too long."_

_"He's right, it'll all be over soon."_ Came another, unfamiliar voice.

Tittering came from several voices, both male and female, it wasn't clear to the young hunter the location they were coming from.

_"The taste is amazing, he really is alluring it's he?"_ Spoke a female voice.

_"Indeed!"_ Replied another.

_"He's just so full of pain and suffering, it's intoxicating!"_

_"I can't get enough!"_

Sam shook his head, it was now clear that the voices he could hear were in his head. He squeezed his eyes shut and sucked in a sob.

"What… what do you …want from me?" He panted, trying to catch his breath from speaking, it was now barely a whisper.

_"He's so reluctant to use his mind, he holds so much power yet he doesn't use it?"_

_"We know you can hear us Winchester, just try to relax."_

_"Ha-ha.. Yeah relax, we don't need to taste your fear as well."_ The chuckling continued, echoing against the stone walls.

_"That's not the only thing I want to taste of him. My, I can see why Lucas wanted him to himself, this one is just … mmm…"_ A long haired woman strolled over to Sam's form, she hissed, showing her fangs to the weakened hunter. With a long nailed finger, she lifted Sam's chin and forcefully planted her lips over his. When she withdrew, she licked her lips suggestively and cackled loudly at Sam's discomfort.

_"Delicious."_

_"My turn, feeding off him is so addictive_." Replied another woman.

"You're sick, the...whole lot of you. When my brother gets here...you're all...dead!" Sam spat, anger was written over his face for a brief moment before he helplessly sunk deeper into the restraints.

"Enough!"

Sam opened his eyes wide trying to locate the new presence who spoke out loud.

"Play time's over!" A tall, dark shape moved into the soft candle light and towards Sam's limp body.

"Leave us! When you find Lucas send him here straight away, and don't forget to bring me that useless brother of his!" The tall man had his back towards the leaving members who had lowered their heads on his arrival.

The man slowly walked over to Sam's dangling frame, he tilted his head from one side to another, analyzing his captive with great fascination.

"You have the potential to be stronger than all of us, yet you don't even try to expand your abilities." The man pointed towards his head as he spoke.

"Instead, you're weak. You're like an open book, Sam, just begging to be read, prodded and played with…" He shook his head, emphasizing his disappointment.

Sam didn't have the energy to respond, the young hunter shifted uncomfortably away from the man. Sam tried to stay strong and focused, he thought about what Dean would do to all them and the faintest smile ghosted his lips as he realized his thought had been 'read' by the man before him.

The man sneered at him and was behind Sam in a flash, with his face buried in his hair as he whispered into Sam's right ear. "You know I like you. I'm not going to lie and say I wasn't tempted by you, because Sam, you don't realize what kind of an effect you give off, believe me you're simply enticing …" He stroked Sam's locks away, clearing the Winchester's neck, the man brought in his bottom lip and bit down hard.

"You're already taken, that's clear, by what though, I don't know, but, you see we have a little problem now, one of mine has disobeyed me and well, you and that hunter brother of yours are a risk to all of us… a risk I'm not willing to take"

------

Dean sat, head down, hands clenched around the steering wheel for a few seconds. He looked up into the mirror to glare at the person in the back seat.

"You're sure this is the place?"

Tristan cautiously glared back at him and nodded. "My brother, please don't hurt him. We'll leave, I promise."

Dean unconsciously flinched at the word 'brother', his rage and need for revenge was great and he felt himself tense. "You're coming with me because I'm sure as hell not going in there alone and leaving you out here unguarded!" Dean stated before opening his door. Tristan didn't have time to respond, he felt himself being dragged out of the back seat and onto the ground. He braced himself with his hands. He wasn't sure which was more unnerving, Anthony and the gang, or being forced to stick close to Dean.

Tristan looked up cautiously and was met by an the unimpressed glare of the hunter.

"Well? Lead the way…You had better hope that nothing has happened to my brother or so help me god, I'll…" Dean took a deep breath and released it loudly, leaving Tristan to dwell over the unspoken threat.

Tristan pushed himself to a standing position. "Please believe me when I say that I never wanted to hurt Sam…" He whispered, it wasn't clear whether he wanted it to be heard or not because the words were too faint to be heard clearly.

"What did you say?!" Dean grabbed hold of Tristan arm and pulled him violently closer. He looked the man before him up and down, taking in the defeated expression and anxious eyes.

"Nothing, I'm sorry." Tristan bowed his head and began walking.

"Whatever, just get moving." Dean snapped.

-------------

The old abandoned wine factory was indeed a great place for the vampires to house in, it was fairly secluded and from the external appearances, looked almost uninhabitable. Dean followed his captive close. The hunter was vigilant, he scanned the area and space before him, knife in hand and bag containing his weapons securely tossed over the other shoulder.

-------------

Inside the building, Dean took the lead and drew out his knife that had been dipped in Dead Man's blood. He was focused on one thing and it took only a second before the two turned a corner to view his one and only reason for coming, Sam.

Dean breathed a sigh of relief that formed to sympathy, and then anger, none of which was directed at his baby brother's limp body.

"Sammy?" He whispered as his hovered his hand over his brother's bruised features.

Sam lifted his head and directed his glassy eyes at his older brother before

him.

"De… Watch… out." Sam gasped in apprehension, but there was a clear hint of relief in his words at knowing that his big brother had come for him.

"Ahh Dean Winchester, I've been waiting for you." The tall man walked out from the shadows facing the two men. Before Dean could make a move for his attack, he felt a sharp blow contact with the side of his head.

**Xxxxxxxxxxx**

**Reviews feed me and help keep me inspired, please feed me, I'm hungry!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary: **Bruised, tired and mentally exhausted from their previous hunt, the boys decide to take a break before they look for the next one. Unfortunately for them, their next hunt finds them first. Contains mature material.

**AN:** So sorry it's late, usual life matters… **Thank you so much to all who reviewed**, I can't help stress that reviews help so much when it comes to writing!

Big thanks to my beta Michelle, Happy Birthday to you! Also Happy Birthday to Jared Padalecki turning twenty five today!

**Warnings**: …. language …

**Disclaimer:** sigh no, I don't own them, I don't own much, in fact there have been questions surrounding the ownership of my mind. However, saying that, any characters you don't recognize have come from my head.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

I've become impossible

holding on to when

when everything seemed to matter more

the two of us

all used and beaten up

watching fate as it flows down the path we

have chose

you and me

we're in this together now

none of them can stop us now

we will make it through somehow

you and me

if the world should break in two

until the very end of me

until the very end of you

**We're In This Together – Nine Inch Nails**

**Previously:**

_Dean breathed a sigh of relief that formed to sympathy, and then anger, none of which was directed at his baby brother's limp body._

_"Sammy?" He whispered as his hovered his hand over his brother's bruised features._

_Sam lifted his head and directed his glassy eyes at his older brother before him._

_"De… Watch… out." Sam gasped in apprehension, but there was a clear hint of relief in his words at knowing that his big brother had come for him._

_"Ahh Dean Winchester, I've been waiting for you." The tall man walked out from the shadows facing the two men. Before Dean could make a move for his attack, he felt a sharp blow contact with the side of his head._

**Chapter 15**

Dean awoke to the deafening throbbing emanating from in his sore head. Cold roughness of concrete pressed against his right cheek and told him he was vertical, lying on the ground on his side to be precise.

"Ahh…Shitt!" He cursed while making a feeble attempt to move. The possibility of concussion came to mind when he opened his eyes and wondered which way was up or down.

The hunter and older brother within him forced himself to take some deep breaths before he brought his lips together and called out into the darkness.

"Sammmmy?..."

Receiving no answer, his heart rate picked up and he forced his eyes open again. The room appeared to be small and very enclosed, the only light source being a small barred window to the left of him. His instincts told him it was probably a basement or a room underground, the window was fairly high up the wall, but the size and light coming from it seemed minimal.

He attempted to draw his body to a sitting position but instead released a groan as gravity pulled him back down, hard.

It was then he became aware of the rope binding his wrists behind his back.

'_Really not in the mood for this shit!'_ He thought to himself as he rubbed the rope against his back to judge the type of knot. Dean huffed as he twisted and squirmed his way, first to a sitting position before continuing to untie the rope with some more tugs and twists of his wrists.

'_Amateurs, they call this a knot?'_ The hunter scowled to himself as his right hand suddenly came free, followed closely by the other.

Dean squinted and scanned the room for his brother, he was relieved and saddened when he saw the crumpled form of Sam in the corner of the room, furthest away from any light.

"Oh god…. Sammy…"

-----

Sam was curled in on himself in the fetal position, his back arched, exposing the many wounds riddled over his skin. As Dean eased closer to his brother, he sighed when he noticed he was trembling and quietly sobbing. _What have they done to you Sammy? _Dean's unspoken words were expressed on his face.

He watched Sam flinch and placed a hand out to calm the frightened young man.

"Hey Sammy it's me, Dean…"

Sam didn't seem to register as he cringed away from the touch.

"S'okay, Sammy. I'm not gonna hurt you, big brother's here." He added with a lop sided grin.

Dean proceeded and gently placed his hand on Sam's shoulder, happy when he was met with no rejection.

Sam leaned into the familiar touch, he knew Dean was there and that he should try to keep himself together, to stop crying, but he couldn't. He was too weak, too broken and just too tired. His emotions were drained, he felt himself self exposed, raw and hopeless. A large part of Sam was disappointed, mostly in himself and how weak he had become, at how much he depended on his brother to make everything better. At this point Sam didn't feel like a hunter, but rather a victim, one that could become a risk to others, he had_ already _become a risk to his brother.

Sam's body shuddered with another bout of strangled sobs. He held his lips tightly together and breathed through his nose.

"De…Dean…I'm sorry" More blood coated his lips and spilled from his mouth, he coughed to free his air way.

"Shh…Lemme take a look at you." Dean lifted his brother's chin and cupped his face in his hand. He shook his head at the damage their captivators had caused to his little brother. His hand hovered over bruises and cuts, not sure where to start. He ran his eyes up Sam's body until he was met by two, glassy, brown eyes that told him all he needed to know at that moment in time, Sam needed him. He would sort out his brother and deal with the vamps after.

"Dea…" Sam tried to speak through the tears that continued to flow from his eyes.

"I'm gonna get us out of this Sammy, don't you worry!" Dean readjusted himself so he was sitting with his back against the wall. The pounding in his head would not give up and was beginning to make it very heavy to hold up without some support, he swallowed back the nausea and went to bring his broken brother's body closer to him.

----

Both Winchesters flinched at the sound of someone coughing in the opposite corner of the room. Dean protectively began to bridge the gap between the presence and his brother. He took deep breaths and inched closer to get better view of what was in the there with them.

----

"Guys, I'm sorry…I…" Tristan got on his hands and knees and crawled into the beam of light to show his face to the hunter.

"You should be sorry you son of a bitch…" Dean clenched his fist, if looks could kill, the man on his knees on the ground would be dead.

"Deeaan…"

Dean spun round a little too quickly, the older hunter closed his eyes for a brief moment before returning to his brothers side.

"It's okay Sammy, nothing to worry about." Dean turned to look at Tristan, sprawled on the floor in the middle of the room." Well, nothing I can't handle." He finished as he sat back next to Sam.

Sam shivered and coughed, he moaned as both movements caused his body more pain. Before he could think to speak his thoughts of being cold, he felt a shirt, his brother's shirt wrap around his back and arms. The tears had stopped running down his cheek, he rested his head against his brother's thigh and closed his eyes.

----------

Dean sat still, comforted by the warmth of his younger brother's breath seeping through the fabric of his jeans. It scared him how vulnerable he felt, his Sammy was broken and he was wasn't really sure how to get them out the situation they were in. The older Winchester brought his hands to his face and rubbed it roughly a few times. The concussion was causing his thought to lag and it took some concentration to keep a trail of clear contemplation in his head. He had to get them out of this, and he had to do it soon.

"I know a way out…"

Dean fixed his eyes to the source of the words that interrupted his thoughts.

"What?" Dean looked down at Sam to check that he hadn't woken him.

"Give me your shirt, and do it now" Dean snapped at Tristan before carefully and slowly moving himself from under Sam's head. He held the younger brother's head up and impatiently snatched the shirt that Tristan held out to him. After folding it a couple of times, he placed it onto the concrete floor and rested his brother's head on it.

Dean had to pause before standing, he carefully hid the dizziness that followed as he approached the small window. Signalling to the fretful man, he waited for Tristan to join him next to the window, away from Sam.

"Get talking… I don't have time for anymore crap!"

Tristan swallowed hard and explained how psychic vampires thought and fed on their victims, causing Sam's anguish and pain, both physically and mentally in order to feed off of the young man's emotions. He went on to reveal that the manner in which the vampires fed was a replacement for the conventional way of sucking blood, which was always messy and caused them problems such as hunters.

Tristan looked down to the ground, afraid to look into the older hunter's piercing eyes, "There is a limit …you can only drain so much from someone and…" He turned to face Sam briefly before quickly turning back "Sam can't take anymore…believe me, I didn't want any of this to happen…"

Dean held a hand up to stop the man before him.

"Don't push my patience, I'm letting you talk so I can get him and me out of here, this doesn't change how I feel about you!"

Tristan looked to the ground and nodded, "I'm dead anyway, why do you think I'm in here with you? I know what they're gonna do to me, reading minds has its draw backs…My brother…" Tristan stopped himself, he held his breath to regain his emotion. He bit his bottom lip before looking up to the hunter.

"Our way outta here." He pointed to the drain directly under the window.

Dean looked Tristan up and down "Whatever… this is the plan!"

--------

Sam awoke to a not so cushioned feeling of a crumpled shirt. He immediately realized the lack of Dean's warmth and panicked. Sam brought his lips together and attempted to speak, but failed miserably. His second attempt came out as a whimper.

Sam moved his head, trying his best to get visual of his surroundings. He lifted his body to a sitting position a little too quickly and felt bile sting his throat.

Sam leaned over, trying to avoid himself as he rowed through the involuntary heaves that racked his weak body.

"Aw man…its okay Sam…Err…" The young Winchester could feel a trembling hand pressing his back, it was clear that it wasn't Dean's and he inched away in discomfort.

--

Dean crawled out of the confined drain near the window.

"Pretty narrow, but sho…What the… Get away from him…"

Dean growled as pushed Tristan away and he rushed to Sam's side placing a comforting hand on his back. He watched his younger brother struggle with more violent gags and heaves.

"Sorry …he got sick…I didn't do anything…"

Dean turned to Tristan briefly. "Just stay away from Sam!" The older brother returned to calming Sam, who was now struggling to breathe in between the bouts of vomiting. "Let it out bro…"

It was a good few minutes before the dry heaves diminished. Dean's hand remained on Sam's shoulder.

"You doing alright?" The older brother asked as he helped the younger move away from the puddle he had created.

"Thanks" Sam nodded and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Sorry Dean…I'm trying… to keep together… but I'll hold you back…you gotta get outta here…"

Dean sighed loudly and gripped his brother's shoulder while he shook his head.

"Listen Sammy, you've got nothing to be sorry about and we're both getting out of here! We're in this together!" Dean replied.

**xxxxxxxxx**

**Not many chapters left now, still enjoying this story? Please feed me, I'm so hungry!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary:** Bruised, tired and mentally exhausted from their previous hunt, the boys decide to take a break before they look for the next one. Unfortunately for them, their next hunt finds them first. **Contains mature material.**

**AN:** Yes I know this is late again, it couldn't be helped, so sorry for the wait guys.

**Thank you so much!!! **to all who reviews they keep me going…

I do welcome constructive criticisms as I do want to know how I can improve.

Big thanks to my beta Michelle!

**Warnings:** …. **Language, suggestive nature, mature content** …

**Disclaimer:** sigh no, I don't own them, I don't own much, in fact there have been questions surrounding the ownership of my mind. However, saying that, any characters you don't recognize have come from my head.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Fate's my destroyer  
I was ambushed by the light  
And you judged me once for falling  
This wounded heart arrives

And burn my shadow away  
And burn my shadow away

**Burn my shadow– Unkle**

_**Previously:**_

_It was a good few minutes before the dry heaves diminished. Dean's hand remained on Sam's shoulder._

_"You doing alright?" The older brother asked as he helped the younger move away from the puddle he had created._

_"Thanks." Sam nodded and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand._

_"Sorry Dean…I'm trying… to keep together… but I'll hold you back…you gotta get outta here…"_

_Dean sighed loudly and gripped his brother's shoulder while he shook his head._

_"Listen Sammy, you've got nothing to be sorry about and we're both getting out of here! We're in this together!" Dean replied._

**Chapter 16**

Dean rested one hand on Sam's back and the other on his shoulder. He stayed in the same position for a few seconds, watching and waiting to be sure his brother was able to hold himself up.

"You good?" Dean whispered, shifting so his back shielded Sam from Tristan, who stood at the very far corner of the room.

Sam didn't reply, not verbally. He wasn't sure he could speak at the moment as he looked into Dean's concerned eyes and lowered his head to the ground.

Dean too was unresponsive to Sam's gesture, it was clear his brother wasn't 'good.' In fact, he looked far from it. Dean observed the youngest Winchester sympathetically, noticing how he was still very pale and taking very slow, uneasy breaths.

"S'okay Sammy, just take deep breaths." He stayed motionless, firmly grasping Sam's shoulder, waiting for the young man to ride out yet another wave of nausea.

----

Dean handed his brother the crumpled shirt from the floor and waited while Sam wiped his mouth and forehead. Dean rubbed his own mouth with his hand and covered the groan that escaped his lips while he slowly pulled Sam closer to the edge of the room.

He winched again and grabbed Sam under his arms. Dean sighed. The pain in his head wouldn't let up and his body ached with even smallest of movements. Using the little strength he could muster, he began lifting Sam once again. In his head it was a simple task, but his body told him otherwise as gravity brought both of the Winchesters down to the hard concrete. Dean's derrière hit the ground first, his body providing a cushion for Sam to land on.

"Shit, Sorry Sammy… Oh man…" Dean winced and tried his best to recover from the fall without causing anymore harm to his brother.

"Sammy?" Dean pleaded worriedly.

Dean carefully moved from underneath of his brother so he could face Sam.

"Sammy? Say something, did I hurt you?"

Sam looked up at Dean blankly and shook his head. "No Dean, I'm … I'll be fine... … think" Sam trailed of continued to shake his head as he spoke, "God Dean, what a mess… both…hurt" He looked around the room tiredly and began chuckling.

"Sammy?" Dean asked with some confusion as to what could possibly be so funny about their situation. The thought that Sam had finally 'lost it' crossed his mind and he watched Sam's chuckle fade to a smile. Now that was something he hadn't seen in a long time.

"This… is way up in the top ten, Dean." His smile faded to a wince while he protectively placed a hand over his stomach.

Dean, who was at this point bewildered, tilted his head and raised one brow, waiting for Sam to elaborate, "Okaaay." He dragged out, emphasizing his confusion.

"Tight spots Dean… tricky situations… you know, out of how many of those we've had, this ….this one has definitely earned its spot…up there at the top … cause… I really… I don't know how we're gonna get out…" Sam huffed lazily; talking was still something he felt he should keep to a minimum he thought to himself as he fought to catch his breath.

"It's good to see ya smile bro… I promise you, we will get out of here and be laughing about this one too." Dean spoke softly and stared at Sam.

He cleared his throat and turned around to find Tristan. He didn't feel comfortable letting his guard down around him, especially when Sam was vulnerable.

"Okay Sam, this is the plan." Dean gripped Sam by the shoulder. He strategically moved out of the way so Sam could see the window and the now open drain that would be their escape route.

"We're gonna get out of here through the sewer, it's a little tight, but you're gonna be fine. I'll be with you all the way." Dean assured him, sounding more confident than he felt. The truth was, their 'escape route' was more than a_ little_ tight, it was also fairly dark and damp. He couldn't see the end, but knew by previously observing the size of the factory, judged that it could be a long trip through the tunnel.

Sam nodded speechlessly, accepting Dean's sanguinity filled prediction without argument. He trusted Dean completely. There was no way that his big brother would leave him, so he would have to pull it together and be a Winchester in order to get them both out.

"Main priority is to get you out of here Sam, but there's no way in hell I'm letting those vampires get away with what they've done" Dean spoke with rage in his voice and turned his attention to Tristan.

"Dean… that's not important …we can worry when we… g'out…" Sam grunted and adjusted his hand over his abdomen.

"Sammy?" Dean questioned, his tone saturated in concern.

"M'ok…l'ess…jus… get out." Sam managed before doubling over into a coughing fit, he bent over and spat out blood that filled his mouth.

Dean was by Sam's side immediately, he held him steady and watched in horror as a pool of crimson began to spill onto the ground.

"Ah Shit Sammy… We'll fix you up kay? We'll get you to a hospital…"

"Hmm…" Sam nodded to Dean, signalling him to release the grip.

"Do we have a plan to get out of here?" Sam added, struggling with dizziness to stay upright.

"We send_ him_ down there first." Dean pointed to Tristan, who wore a deer-in-headlights expression at the mention of the plan.

"Then you follow with me close behind you." Dean began to stand as he spoke.

"Before we get out of here, I've gotta start this." The oldest brother reached into his jeans pocket, digging deep and pulling out a lighter and small silver flask. The older Winchester wore a smirk as he watched Sam's reaction.

"No this isn't holy water, and Yep, they're gonna roast!" Dean explained as he turned to Tristan.

"All of them!"

"Dean… no time…" Sam stated. He followed Dean to the window, which provided a little more light.

"There's plenty of wood in here Sam, old dry wood, and whiskey," Dean held up the silver flask, " is the next best thing we have to start a fire. We just gotta get it started and that'll give us enough time to get out, while they're busy putting themselves out." The older hunter crouched down and looked into the drain.

"Dean?" A shaky voice spoke, it came from the far corner of the room.

Dean shot around to face the man who had spoken. "What?" He snapped.

"I think... I think someone's coming..." Tristan's voice quivered, and after speaking, he moved away from the door.

"Fuck!" Dean cursed.

Dean moved to Sam and began pulling him away from the entrance, he swore as Sam slipped from his grip. Dean's head spun rapidly, threatening him with another unplanned decent to the ground as he attempted again to lift his brother up. He flinched upon feeling the assistance of Tristan, who grabbed ahold of Sam's other arm. They worked together to move Sam away from the door.

"Go, get the rope. I wasn't tied up remember… let me help?" Tristan pleaded, his eyes honest and glued to the older hunter, waiting for a response.

Dean slowly picked up the discarded rope and placed it in Tristan's hands, he held out his own for Tristan to tie. "Don't make me regret this, or you won't have time to regret your _own_ actions!" Dean hissed.

Tristan began loosely tying the rope around Dean's wrists, behind his back.

------

Dean used the wall to slide back down to the ground, not too far from where Sam was slouched over onto the concrete.

The loud clank of blots being released from the latch could be heard before the door was flung open, bringing in a brisk, cold wind.

----

"Well well, it looks like play time is over for you guys." A blonde haired man walked over to Sam and smirked at him, he lowered his body and twirled his finger into Sam's hair, ignoring the groan that he received from the young Winchester.

Dean fought with himself to stop from attacking the man with everything he had. He knew it was too risky to blow things at that moment, he had to stay cool and collected.

Their escape depended on them going unnoticed and they had to be trusted to be left alone again, they had to stay together in that room. It was difficult task, watching as the man played and cooed over his distressed baby brother, even when Sam called out to him, he remained still. He had to, he could do that for Sam, Sam's survival depended on it.

"And you." The man strolled over to Dean who stared a hole in him while he approached.

"Ouch, there's no need to be like that Dean, I haven't even done anything to you, yet. Oh you're certainly a feisty one aren't you? It's cute how you're so protective of Sam. Of course, I don't blame you, he_ is_ Special." Dean pulled his head away from the man's face with his lips firmly pressed together. He was breathing deeply and he wasn't sure he could contain his rage much longer.

The blonde haired man stood to his name being called, Tristan faced him and stood in front in a challenging manor.

"Where's my brother?" Tristan growled.

The blonde haired man huffed. "Who do you think you're talking to? Your_ brother _is the least of your worries… you do know what they're going to do to you, right?" He asked in a teasing tone as he looked Tristan up and down.

"You're damn pathetic, you know that?" Tristan was pushed back landed hard against the wall. He stared angrily as he pulled himself back together.

"Fuck you! Fuck all of you!" Tristan seethed.

The blonde haired man drew his brows together and smirked at him again. "Oh my…" He brought his hand over his mouth, playfully faking shock at the words. "You do have a naughty mouth, don't you? As for the 'fuck you all,' do you really wanna go there? Because if I remember correctly we've already done th…"

"Look, you bastard, I asked you a question? If you can't tell me where he is, go get Anthony and I'll ask the son of a bitch myself." Tristan returned to his position in front of the man.

He stared at Tristan for a long moment, reading his eyes, "Fine. If you're going to be so nasty about it, I'll let _him_ deal with you, I'm sure Anthony can find _something _to do with a little rat like you. As a matter of fact, I think he might just kill you, he does have quite the temper and such a low tolerance for sorts like you. You're all pathetic, I'll get him and the fun and games will be over, because you can't very well play if you're dead." The man replied and made his way, hurriedly to the door.

The door slammed hard and the small room filled with darkness once more.

**xxxxxxxxx**

**Thanks for reading! Go on click that button, let me know what you think!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary: **Bruised, tired and mentally exhausted from their previous hunt, the boys decide to take a break before they look for the next one. Unfortunately for them, their next hunt finds them first. Contains mature material.

**AN:** Gosh, I'm so sorry for the delay guys, I truly am. It has been just one thing after another and unfortunately couldn't have been avoided. Thanks to all those who have reviewed and have continued to come back, I appreciate each and every comment.

Also I do welcome constructive criticisms as I do want to know how I can improve.

Big thanks to my beta Michelle!

Warnings: …. Language, suggestive nature, mature content …

**Disclaimer:** sigh no, I don't own them, I don't own much, in fact there have been questions surrounding the ownership of my mind. However, saying that, any characters you don't recognize have come from my head.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

The means are right for taking, fade to grey  
Trying to be ruthless, in the face of beauty  
In this matrix, it's plain to see  
It's either you or me.

Bruise,  
pristine,  
serene,  
we were born to lose.

**Placebo– Bruise Pristine**

_**Previously:**_

_"Look, you bastard, I asked you a question? If you can't tell me where he is, go get Anthony and I'll ask the son of a bitch myself." Tristan returned to his position in front of the man. _

_He stared at Tristan for a long moment, reading his eyes, "Fine. If you're going to be so nasty about it, I'll let him deal with you, I'm sure Anthony can find something to do with a little rat like you. As a matter of fact, I think he might just kill you, he does have quite the temper and such a low tolerance for sorts like you. You're all pathetic, I'll get him and the fun and games will be over, because you can't very well play if you're dead." The man replied and made his way, hurriedly to the door._

_The door slammed hard and the small room filled with darkness once more. _

**Chapter 17**

The three men sat stagnantly, engulfed in their silence. The youngest Winchester was the first to break the silence with a groan that quickly blended into a cry out for Dean.

"I'm coming Sam." Dean licked his dry lips and inhaled deeply before slowly using the wall to bring him self up.

_Damn, my head hurts_.

The thought diminished just as quickly as it hit him, Sam was in far worse pain than he was.

"We don't have a lot of time left, help me." Dean spoke to Tristan and motioned him over to Sam.

Dean reached the younger Winchester and gently began gathering his brother up to a sitting position. He silently prompted Tristan to hold him up. Tristan obeyed and planted a hand on Sam's bare back, the other on his arm. He attentively waited on the older hunter for the next move.

Dean sluggishly stepped back, he stared at Sam for a brief moment, taking in the numerous scars and bruises scattered across his exposed body. He knew the sewer was not a place for anyone to crawl through clad only in boxer shorts. God knew what 'crap' would be down there, not to mention the dirt, and germs that, with Sam's injuries, would definitely cause them to become infected.

Without further thought, the older Winchester began to unbuckle his belt before undoing his button. Dean paused and watched the shocked confused face of Tristan who obviously wasn't following with his intentions.

"Sam needs some clothes!" Dean stated blankly while he slid his jeans off and to the ground.

Tristan nodded and ghosted a smile, of course he thought to himself, it worried him slightly that he thought anything else. Dean gathered up the jeans, ready to slide them onto his brother's legs. He slid Sam's foot into one of the legs and did the same with the other. Carefully he went to unravel the material up as far as they would go in a sitting position. Dean remembered this same routine on a young, tired Sam, who didn't want to wake up or dress or leave the motel despite their father's order.

Yes, Dean had gained many a skill growing up, even dressing a half awake, unresponsive brother, which now wasn't an easy task as Sam was no longer a boy, not one, that in his condition, he could lift up so easily. It was then that he glanced over at Tristan. He was silently glad that he had him for help in their situation, however, he did not trust him entirely.

"Hold him up." Dean ordered as he gently grabbed the other free arm and brought Sam up to stand.

With the help of Tristan, Dean slid the jeans the rest of the way on and secured them there with his belt. He nodded gently, apart from the length; they were pretty much the same size. Dean quickly gathered his shirt and did the same, he knew time was not on their side and they had to get out before the vampires returned.

"You go down first, Sam's gonna follow and I'll be right behind him…" Dean paused and cleared his throat.

"You make sure you look back and see that Sam's still behind you!" Dean barked. Tristan nodded, understanding Dean's concern for Sam.

He would never have admitted it to the older hunter, but he truly wasn't sure Sam would make it. Hell he wasn't sure_ he_ would make it, he also thought it best to leave out the fact that he was claustrophobic, under the circumstances, he didn't have many other options for an escape so this was something he would hope he could deal with, especially since he was going first.

"I'll watch out for him." Tristan swallowed hard and turned away, drawing his eyes to the small entrance of the sewer.

"When I'm done with this," He held out the only source of light they had, a small lighter and then he continued. "We can use it as light, but for now you're going to have to feel your way through." Dean shrugged his shoulders at the minimal choices they had.

Tristan smiled before dipping into his pocket and pulling out a packet of cigarettes. He held them out briefly, still beaming towards the hunter, tipped the packet and out slipped an orange lighter, that he lit to emphasis the delight of his finding. Dean raised a brow, _smokers_.

He nodded his approval before straightening and stiffening.

"Now, you better get going, you need a good head start." Dean took hold of Sam's shoulders while Tristan made his way into the sewer.

When Tristan's feet were no longer visible, Dean positioned himself in front of Sam.

"Hey, you with me Sammy?" He spoke softly. Sam inhaled and nodded, he looked into his brother's eyes and almost lost his composure, he wasn't sure whether he could do this.

"Hey, Sam," Dean gently jerked Sam to attention. The young Winchester looked up, his hair hung limply over his glassy eyes as nodded. "You gotta hang in there a little longer man, we'll get through this." Dean reassured with a firm squeeze on Sam's shoulder. Sam's eyes returned to the ground.

"Get going, I'll be right behind you, but you keep going, you don't stop, okay?" Dean waited for a response that was another weak nod from Sam.

"Deep breaths, look straight ahead, you'll be fine." Dean carefully helped Sam lower his body to the ground, first to his knees, then onto his belly. Sam panted and began slowly descending into the small, dark hole.

---------

The smell hit him first, it thumped him hard like a fisted hand over the face. If he wasn't already lying on the ground, he was sure he would have been. Sam fought with his body as an involuntary retch erupted, he quickly swallowed it down and sucked in a shallow breaths of much needed air he felt his lungs called for.

His lungs however, felt on fire, just like his skin, his muscles, come to think of it, nearly every inch of him burned. His head felt heavy and his vision began to blur. The filthy conditions, coupled with the intense, excruciating pain that echoed through his drained body made him was to cry out with each move he made.

He tried hard to focus on something, he couldn't pass out, not now. The flickering weak light ahead of him provided a little focal point. The pace was very slow, he wasn't sure if Tristan was doing it for his benefit, but either way it was just right, any faster and he would have been left in darkness, on his own.

_God, where's Dean? _Sam thought, he began panting before lifting his hand and tucking his head under his arm to gaze behind him.

The light source at the other end was becoming increasing small which made him even more nervous, he trusted that Dean was doing whatever needed to be done, but something didn't feel right. Dean was taking too long. Sam coughed and rested his head on his other arm for a brief moment, without knowing his body had stopped moving.

The shooting pain that followed movement was no longer present, it started to become clear why he had stopped, Tristan's shoe rested still in front of his face, he could smell the rubber and dirt of his sole.

Sam breathed loudly through his mouth turning away slightly, he sighed.

"Tristan?... What is it?...What's wrong?"

---

Tristan looked ahead, he tried his best to think about anything, anything apart from where he currently was. Shallow breaths. _Open space. Deep Breaths, Cigarettes, Whiskey, Lucas, Walls, Darkness, Light, Tunnel, Fuck! _

Tristan clenched the lighter harder as he tried to steady his hand. _Shit! _

He moaned and closed his eyes.

"I can do this." He whispered to himself, his shaky voice echoing against the walls.

He looked back and saw Sam not far behind. _If Sam can do this, I definitely can_.

However, his scattered thoughts were more positive than he actually felt. He tucked his head to look back behind him again and it occurred to him that going back wasn't an option, the tunnel was smaller and thinner than it appeared from the outside and forward was the only way out.

He quickly snapped his head back and looked ahead.

"I have to do this!" Tristan told himself.

The lighter fell from his grip, landing in front of him, it engulfed the two men in absolute darkness.

"Tristan?... What is it?...What's wrong?" Came Sam's voice from behind him.

---

The man in question shook his head trying to clear the fuzz, were his eyes open or closed? His shaky hands managed to find the lighter again, however this time it didn't stay on. It went out after a second.

It seemed that since the lighter had been dropped in the wetness it would not relight properly. Tristan's heart rate was frantically beating against his chest, looking ahead wasn't helping much anymore.

The end was no where in sight, there was only darkness ahead, more darkness and more confinement.

He took a breath that didn't reach his lungs. He was stuck. They were stuck, there was no way out.

**xxxxxxxxx**

**I know, I know, but unlike before the next chapter is coming soon. **

**Thanks for reading and keeping with it.**

**Feedback, I got to get some feedback guys! Let me know what you think?**


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary:** Bruised, tired and mentally exhausted from their previous hunt, the boys decide to take a break before they look for the next one. Unfortunately for them, their next hunt finds them first. **Contains mature material.**

**AN:** Thanks you so much for your comments. I appreciate each and every one of them, a special thanks goes to the kind and encouraging words from IheartSam7, Goddess972, ziggy.uk. Thank you!

There are about two more chapters to go now. Not to worry there's still lots of angst and hurt-ness to come.

As always a big thanks to my wonderful beta Michelle!

**Warnings:** **…. Language, suggestive nature, mature content …**

**Disclaimer:** sigh no, I don't own them, I don't own much, in fact there have been questions surrounding the ownership of my mind. However, saying that, any characters you don't recognize have come from my head.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

I will light the match this morning, so I wont be alone

Watch as she lies silent, for soon night will be gone

Oh, I will stand arms outstretched, pretend

I'm free to roam

Oh, I will make my way, through, one more day in hell...

How much difference does it make

I will hold the candle till it burns up my arm

Oh, Ill keep taking punches until their will grows tired

Oh, I will stare the sun down until my eyes go blind hey,

I wont change direction, and I wont change my mind

How much difference does it make

Mmm, how much difference does it make...how much difference...

Ill swallow poison, until I grow immune

I will scream my lungs out till it fills this room

How much difference

_**Pearl Jam– Indifference**_

_**Previously:**_

_"Tristan?... What is it?...What's wrong?" Came Sam's voice from behind him._

_--- _

_The man in question shook his head trying to clear the fuzz, were his eyes open or closed? His shaky hands managed to find the lighter again, however this time it didn't stay on. It went out after a second. _

_It seemed that since the lighter had been dropped in the wetness it would not relight properly. Tristan's heart rate was frantically beating against his chest, looking ahead wasn't helping much any more. The end was no where in sight, there was only darkness ahead, more darkness and more confinement. _

_He took a breath that didn't reach his lungs. He was stuck. They were stuck, there was no way out..._

**Chapter 18**

Dean stood for a good few seconds as he watched his younger brother slowly move deeper into the dark hole that was the sewer, their only escape. His heart thumped hard against his bare chest, reminding him that he had to work quickly.

He had to get the fire ready and started before the vampires returned to finish them off; well at least, that's what they thought. Dean's plans said otherwise, the hunter began pacing around the parameter of the room.

He had already done a sweep and made a mental note of how he could start a substantial fire with his limited fuel, but he only had one shot and he had to get it right, Sam's life depended on it, there was no other option.

Dean turned to glance at the open sewer behind him, he took a deep breath before opening the canteen containing the precious fuel.

_These Vamps are gonna burn right back to whatever hell they crawled out of. _The older Winchester thought as he started pouring the first line of fuel across the main door.

-------------

Sam rested his head on his arm and moaned, although stopping was more comfortable than the agony of moving, he was struggling to stay conscious, in fact the difference between the darkness in the tunnel and the dull obscurity filling his head, was growing very thin.

Sam couldn't tell if his eyes were open or shut. With another groan he tried to lift his head, and for a moment, the younger Winchester fought to remember where he was, he focused and reminded himself of the real danger they were in and some of the last words spoken by Dean:

'_You don't stop, okay?'_

He shook his head slightly, regretting the movement straight after, where was Dean? As his fragmented mind thought about the answers to his question, he turned his attention to the troubling situation in front of him.

"Tristan?" Sam's voice may have been weak and raspy but it bounced and echoed against the thick walls of the tunnel.

"Hey man…we … we gotta…" Sam bit his lip, and inhaled deeply, "keep moving…" His adrenaline was draining and he was becoming increasingly weak.

He really needed Dean there, the worry for his brother's whereabouts alone was becoming too much. Sam felt as though his heart had jumped into his throat, his churning stomach coiled in unison.

Panting through the nausea, he returned to resting his heavy head on his arm. Vomit and a tunnel did not mix. He fought harder through the thoughts of the consequences of such an event. Why was Tristan unresponsive? Maybe he had passed out, oh god maybe there was danger ahead, and perhaps Tristan had been injured.

Sam returned to his worried thoughts, his chest tightened and his air intake halted briefly. At this point the younger Winchester realised that he was unarmed, helpless and now apparently probably alone.

He wanted to cry, but that was too much effort.

--

Faint sounds awoke Sam from his semi-conscious state, the distinct sound of crying. At first it was muffled, but now it was clear to Sam's ears. He remained still, in too much pain and turmoil to do anything else, until his head absorbed and processed the sound that filled the sewer.

The strangled sobs came from in front, Tristan was crying and had been for what seemed like a good few minutes.

_God, why is Tristan crying?_ Sam thought as he attempted to communicate with the man ahead.

"Tristan?" Tristan seemed to hear the desperation in Sam's voice, he momentarily stopped crying and held his breath.

"I'm sorry…so sorry Sam." Tristan's voice broke and returned to sobs.

Sam closed his eyes, god he wished Dean would get here, the fact that he wasn't already with them scared Sam more than anything. He had to believe that Dean was coming; there was no other option he could manage, so he clung onto that with all he had, he couldn't do this without Dean.

"I tried, I really did, I never meant for any of this to happen." Tristan was stopped by his own coughs, he waited for a response, on not receiving one he continued. "I was going to tell Dean, but I didn't want to let you guys down. You're good guys, I can see that and I'm so sorry." Tristan hitched over his own voice.

"God…" Sam couldn't manage anything more verbally. He tried to process Tristan's words, but all he could think of was Dean. Whatever Tristan was going through, he felt for him, but this was not a good time to be apologizing.

Sam slumped forward, helpless.

"Sam?... s'ok Dean is alive, I can ... you know… feel it…" Tristan tucked his head under his arm to get a view of the younger hunter behind him. He could see Sam's face buried in his folded arm, he wasn't sure if he was still conscious.

_If Dean's alive, we need to keep moving, Tristan needs to keep going! _The young Winchester thought. He was about to attempt another verbal request to continue, but was cut off by the man in front of him.

"I hear you Sam, I'll try harder man, I will …but this… I really don't do closed spaces, I can't believe I even got this far, my legs, my body, they just don't wanna move." Tristan pressed his lips together and pushed off the ground so he was resting his weight on his elbows again, ready to begin crawling.

For a moment Sam was shocked and uncomfortable, but it passed quickly, remembering Tristan's ability.

_I forgot about that, you reading my thoughts. Look man, this is a bad situation, but believe me when I say it's gonna get worse if you don't move. _Sam raised his head, clear tracks of fresh tears running down his cheeks, he looked at the man before him waiting for his response.

Tristan felt the pang of guilt as he took in Sam's despair and desperation. He knew Sam was in pain, he could almost feel the suffering the young man had already gone through, stopping wasn't an option, he had to make sure he did right by him and force, fight through his demons.

"Yeah, I know, I'm gonna push through it, focus, try those stupid mind exercises my brother taught me when I was younger. Besides, I ain't got any other choice, especially if that brother of yours gets here and finds you held up 'cause of me." Tristan huffed, trying to make light of the situation, he sucked in a deep breath, his fear for Dean was enough to dwindle any of his own fears, he had after all read the hunter's thoughts long enough to know that, when it came to Sam, nothing got in the way of his safety.

Swallowing hard, Tristan pulled himself forward.

_You're sure Dean's okay?_ Sam's mind was still immersed in worry for his brother.

"Yeah, he is, he's alive I know that much, but I have a feeling he's gonna be coming fast, so I guess we need to get as far away from this place as possible." Tristan inched forward more and looked behind him again to see whether the younger hunter was following.

Sam had managed to move but only slightly, his pace had slowed immensely. Tristan slowed a little, but kept moving, hoping it would encourage the hunter behind him.

Cigarettes came to mind again and Tristan looked down into his palm to view the lighter. He rubbed his thumb over the ignition a few times before daring another attempt to light it.

To his surprise the lighter ignited, filling the small tunnel with a flickering glow, the man said a silent thanks and continued their painful struggle forward.

-------------

The abandoned wine warehouse had no obvious weapons, certainly none for destroying psychic vampires. The one thing it did have in abundance was wood. Dry, termite eaten and potentially flammable wood.

It was everywhere, in the framework of the building, the ceiling beams, and the doors and piled in the corner near the door, was some conveniently placed, old broken wine barrels and box crates that Dean intended on using.

The crates where built of a few strips of wood that were nailed together. The soft wood was now old and the nails were rusted through. Dean could use his feet and hands to break them apart without a problem. He worked quickly, picking the few exposed top crates that where dry enough to burn immediately.

He used his boot and hands to break the crate apart, first stamping on it while gripping and pulling the wooden strips into smaller shards and pieces. He promptly doused the wood pieces in some of the fuel and strategically placed them around the room. He had created a circular shape around the room that began and protected the opening to the sewer. The trail of fuel continued towards one of the large wooden support beams that stood on each side of the basement.

A larger majority of the wood was concentrated on the beams, Dean made sure he doused these pieces of wood well as these were the main pieces that he really needed to light sufficiently enough to make a large affect on the fire. Working with fuel and fires for many years, Dean was sure he could make this fire dangerous enough to burn through the building, he also needed to ensure it was enough to get his main target, the vampires.

Fire was just one of the ways to 'kill' a vampire and this was really the only available option. The older Winchester's breathing echoed against the confinements of the small darkened room, it was then that he heard distant laughter, accompanied by approaching foot steps.

Dean gripped harder to the strip of wood in his hand, he pushed down on his foot and pulled with greater force, this last crate appeared to be more stubborn than he had thought. He suppressed a groan as the sharp perturbing splinters dug deep into his skin, embedding themselves into and through his palms.

With lightning speed, he threw the pieces to the ground near his feet, they landed on the pile of discarded material and he began to pour the remainder of the fuel on it. He barely had time to roll his thumb over the metal of the lighter before he felt a gush of wind that filled the room.

On opening, the door contacted and smashed hard against the basement wall, it was followed by several tall dark figures.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

----

Anthony a tall in stature, dark haired 'man', sauntered into the small room towards the young hunter. His bright green eyes surveyed the room, before landing back on the half dressed, boxers and boot clad, man before him.

The gaze on Dean was intense, as was Dean's who burned holes into the obvious leader of this brood of vampires. The young hunter also performed his own mental assessment of him, Anthony was wearing a long black trench as were his other goons who stood in the background. He held obvious respect from the group as no one walked or moved in front of the man.

Anthony slowly moved closer to Dean, who had remained perfectly still since they had arrived and appeared to be just as calm. Anthony rubbed his chin and lifted his brow, he then continued to sniff the air and held out his hands lifting his shoulders at the same time.

"Now, now Dean, where is that _delicious_ brother of yours, and that pesky Tristan?" Anthony spoke lightly, but his voice was laced with venom and threat.

Dean shrugged and lifted his shoulders, he smirked as a response and continued to look at the man before him. Anthony nodded calmly, he walked around to Dean's side and continued to stare at the older Winchester.

"So, you planning a lil' barbeque here Dean?... 'cause I really don't think there's enough ventilation, not to mention it was very rude of you to not invite us. We always enjoy a good feast."

Anthony walked behind Dean and crouched down to look into the sewer, "So I see they decided to join the rats. Sewer escape, huh?" The man laughed out load and stood rubbing his hand on his worn Jeans.

He then went to place a rough hand on Dean's forehead, pulling it back. Anthony then leaned over Dean's shoulder and spoke into the hunter's ear.

"I'm not stupid Dean, I can put two and two together, you're all going to die, and just for this," The man pointed to the sewer, " I'll make sure I don't make it quick and painless." Anthony roughly jolted Dean's head to the side and hovered his teeth over the nape of his neck.

"Hmm, I thought you guys had suffered enough, but now I can see you obviously enjoy playing games. I love games too and not to brag or anything, but I _never_ lose." Anthony snarled.

----

Dean began counting in his head, he kept a steady rhythm as he knew he could think of nothing else. He purposefully and mentally avoided the fact that he was about to set fire to the whole damn room, while he was still in it.

He knew that the counting would distract his thoughts from giving away his plans.

"Hmmm, very clever Dean, but you gotta do better than that." Anthony released Dean's forehead and pushed him forward into the centre of the room.

"You know, I've just about had it with your empty threats, you wanna 'make me suffer' go ahead and get it over with already because I tire of your stubborn attitude."

The young Winchester smirked and returned to staring daggers into the man before him. Dean held his arms wide open, gesturing a 'come get me then' stance.

The young Winchester watched as the man before him smiled, before his demeanour changed to that of pure evil and he attacked Dean with a force that caused the oldest brother to struggle for breath.

He could feel the immense weight of the tall man up against his body, he was pressed against the cold concrete of the wall behind him. His jaw ached under the man's tight hold. Even with his mouth forced open he attempted and failed an intake of air, it was at that point that he began to feel his lungs burn from lack of oxygen.

"Still wanna play?" Anthony asked as he turned his head back for a brief moment to look at his brood.

Anthony retuned to face Dean, he puzzled at the expression the young hunter was wearing, Dean had a cocky grin on his face that only became clear to Anthony, when he saw what the hunter had in his 'free' left hand.

In less than a second the room was engulfed in the beautiful array of red, orange and blue glow of fire and Dean kept smiling even as Anthony's expression fell to one of complete shock.

**xxxxxxxxx**

**Thanks for reading and keeping with it. **

**I feed you, you feed me! Deal?**


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary:** Bruised, tired and mentally exhausted from their previous hunt, the boys decide to take a break before they look for the next one. Unfortunately for them, their next hunt finds them first. **Contains mature material.**

**AN:** So sorry for the delay. You guys are fantastic, thank you so much for the reviews; they really do feed me and encourage me to write.

This is meant to be the second to last chapter and there is still a lot to be covered, not to mention recovery and angst to follow so there may be one long last chapter or maybe two after this one, we'll see…

As always a big thanks to my awesome beta Michelle!

**Warnings:****…. Language, suggestive nature, mature content …**

**Disclaimer:** sigh no, I don't own them, I don't own much, in fact there have been questions surrounding the ownership of my mind. However, saying that, any characters you don't recognize have come from my head.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Hello.  
Is there anybody in there?  
Just nod if you can hear me.  
Is there anyone home?

Come on, now.  
I hear you're feeling down.  
Well I can ease your pain,  
Get you on your feet again.

Relax.  
I need some information first.  
Just the basic facts:  
Can you show me where it hurts?

There is no pain, you are receding.  
A distant ships smoke on the horizon.  
You are only coming through in waves.  
Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying.  
When I was a child I had a fever.  
My hands felt just like two balloons.  
Now I got that feeling once again. I can't explain, you would not understand.  
This is not how I am.  
I have become comfortably numb.

**Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb**

_**Previously:**_

_He could feel the immense weight of the tall man up against his body, he was pressed against the cold concrete of the wall behind him. His jaw ached under the man's tight hold. Even with his mouth forced open he attempted and failed an intake of air, it was at that point that he began to feel his lungs burn from lack of oxygen._

_"Still wanna play?" Anthony asked as he turned his head back for a brief moment to look at his brood. _

_Anthony retuned to face Dean, he puzzled at the expression the young hunter was wearing, Dean had a cocky grin on his face that only became clear to Anthony, when he saw what the hunter had in his 'free' left hand. _

_In less than a second the room was engulfed in the beautiful array of red, orange and blue glow of fire and Dean kept smiling even as Anthony's expression fell to one of complete shock. _

**Chapter 19**

The basement ignited with fire that spread and crawled along the surface on the ground, making its way up the walls towards the ceiling. It happened in a matter of seconds and soon the small dark room was bright and radiating with the intense heat of the inferno, it had swallowed the room in less than a minute.

High pitch shrieks and cries filled the air blending with the rage and low growl of flames, amongst those sounds were the crackle and pop of the materials ablaze, wood, fabric and flesh, raw burning flesh.

---

Dean's plan had worked better than he had thought it would, the fire had ignited with great fury and was spreading fast; most importantly it had lit his main targets. It was within that minute that the hunter had witnessed the vampire's body light up in flames, he watched as the flames rode their way through the man's clothing, into his hair and along to the skin on his face. The malicious and immoral eyes of Anthony morphed into fear filled ones as the blaze engulfed his body.

A couple more seconds followed and Dean not only saw, but felt the intense, hungry heat connect with his own skin, the hunter tore himself from the clasps of Anthony's hands and leaped the short but torturous distance into the confines of the sewer.

-----

Dean coughed hard into his folded arm, shielding his nose and mouth, he peered to get a view behind him, but could see and smell nothing other than the fiery flames. The fumes were strong and intensifying by the minute. It was clear to the hunter that he needed to get away from the entrance, the scorching flames were creeping closer, eating up the air and any oxygen as it grew. Dean violently coughed again and gagged against the intoxicating fumes; he continued forward and eased his sore, partially burned body deeper into the cool and calmer surroundings of the sewer. The escape had left him with some superficial burns on his skin, his arms, legs and back had been scorched in the escape. Dean could feel the small and growing blisters developing on the exposed areas of his body. He cursed at the constant and piercing pain of the burns. When he remembered just how quickly the clothed vampires had lit up he relished the auspicious circumstance he had been in and was thankful to have gotten out of it alive.

As the hunter crawled further into the sewer he used the cool but filthy water to lessen the burning sensation on his sore skin. The sewer water wafted over into his nose and he knew that although cooling, it was dirty and most likely crawling with germs, he and his brother would need to tend to their wounds as soon as possible so as not to get infections.

His thoughts were now focussed on one thing, and it was getting him and his brother way from the building, fast.

---------

"Hey Sam, come on man, I can barely see ya, well I can barely see _anything_ but…" The young man ahead paused, softening his voice further, "well you know what I mean?...I know your falling far behind, what happened to our deal man?" Tristan asked lightly.

He stopped and propped his head under his arm to try and get an analysis of the youngest Winchester. Tristan sighed when he saw that Sam had indeed stopped and fallen far behind. He had hoped that by continuing it would have encouraged the younger hunter to keep moving, this however had not been the case. It was obvious that Sam was in too much agony at this point, he was clearly suffering, and the thing that had been keeping him going at the start had completely worn out.

Tristan bit down on his cracked lip, hard, drawing blood, it occurred to him that stopping was not helping his claustrophobia, it began to creep in and take hold of his body yet again; he took a deep breath and tried to keep focussed on anything but the confinement of the tunnel, he cleared his throat and began the difficult task of back tracking to get closer to Sam.

"Okay Sam, you win man, lets take a lil break." Tristan joked, at the same time he tried to sound hopeful about their current dire situation.

_How am I going to keep Sam moving?_

As Tristan watched the lighter tremble vigorously in his hand he wondered how _he_ was going to keep going, it seemed that hope was leaving both of them behind.

-----

Sam tried his hardest to follow the flickering light. He attempted the best he could to ignore the severe headache amongst the other injuries that assaulted his body. Sam didn't know how long he and Tristan had been travelling; neither did he know how much further they had ahead of them. That thought made Sam choke on another sob. Having no end, no goal to aim towards caused Sam to deflate and surrender to his body's persisting pleas to stop.

The weak voice in front drew Sam to attention and as he heard and appreciated Tristan's attempt to lighten the mood, he wished even more for his brother. Sam thought about how Dean had such a skill to make light of the most terrible of situations. Only Dean could make Sam smile or laugh at something that seemed hopeless, dangerous and at most times frightening. As Sam mused about it, he realized that this was something Dean had done for as long as he could remember, mostly for _his_ benefit. He remembered the hope he brought to the usual life they lead, Sam thought how he wouldn't have made or survived most situations without his brother by his side.

As if on cue, the younger Winchester flinched and raised his aching head at the familiar sound of his name being called from behind him.

--

"Sammy?" Dean tried to catch his breath before speaking again.

"How you doing there Sammy?" Dean placed a concerned hand on the back of Sam's leg. Dean waited patiently for his baby brother to reply, he lifted his trembling hand and lit the lighter to try getting a more visible view of his brother.

Sam smiled and wiped his falling tears, Dean's presence alone had supplied some energy, he wet his lips before speaking.

"De..?" Sam managed realising that he was still very physically weak.

"Yeah it's me, I told ya I'd be coming, I just had some things to sort out." The older hunter commented, he coughed and cleared his throat before returning his attention to Sam. Dean crawled as close as he could and whispered quietly, "Seriously, how you coping bro?"

Dean heard Sam's voice hitch, he knew his brother was crying, he knew his brother was far from okay or fine so he understood the long delay before Sam answered with 'not so good Dean', it was so faint, it was barely heard, but Dean understood those few words completely, he needed nothing more than to just hear his brother's voice, no more questions would be needed, and they just needed to get out.

Dean rubbed Sam's calf before removing his hand and clearing his throat as he spoke louder, "Tristan man, what's with the blockade huh? We had an agreement didn't we? Now get your ass moving." Dean spoke with only a hint of seriousness, this was an empty threat and order and Tristan understood it as just that.

"Pttf, Yeah, good to have you back man, things were getting a little uhhh…hope you sorted out what you needed to." Tristan thought about the seriousness of what Dean had had to do and his heart sank at the thought that his brother, Lucas, could have been killed, but then something within him told him that Lucas was still alive.

"I don't know about you guys, but I've had enough 'fun' for today, how about we get moving… lead the way Tristan." Dean replied.

Sam lifted himself off the ground, his body disobeying his movements as he sank back down. He tried again and sucked in a deep breath before dragging himself to crawl forward.

"I'm right behind you Sammy; you keep going man, you're doing a great job so far…" The older Winchester stated, close behind his brother.

Dean couldn't see his brother's face and he wished he could, he knew Sam was fighting hard with the pain, with the darkness and persevering the best he could, Dean himself was struggling with the small injuries he had obtained; he could only imagine what his baby brother was going through. He had to keep those thoughts aside for the time being. It wasn't long before he began to smell the hit of smoke edging closer, they had to keep moving, there wasn't a lot he could do for Sam in the sewer, they had enough to worry about without having to deal with the possibility of suffocating, which was all the more reason to get them out as soon as possible.

-------

Another fifteen minutes passed and the slow pace reduced to a complete stop. Dean was at Sam's feet, edging close enough to see how his brother was doing, upon the realization that Sam wasn't doing so good he cleared his throat and took a breath.

"Tristan, we're taking a break!" The older Winchester commanded, his voice echoing through the tunnel.

"Okay." Tristan slowed and stopped slightly further ahead, sensing the brothers' need for some privacy.

"Sammy? How you doing there bro? We'll take a lil break and catch our breath." Dean spoke softly and encouragingly while he rubbed the calf of Sam's leg.

"Dean…feel, not…good, sick…" Sam's weak voice dissipated, but reached his brother's ears in time, as Dean heard his brother heave; it was followed quickly by hiccupped coughs.

"Shit Sammy, sorry man." Dean felt completely helpless listening to Sam throw up, followed by a bellow in grief each time his body heaved. Dean did his best to get close enough to rub Sam's lower back.

"Ride it out Sammy." He sighed, realising his arms were not long enough to comfort Sam physically in any way. He would have to just wait and hope his brother would be well enough to move again.

Sam moaned and murmured a weak apology. He had tried his best to suppress and hold it in, but the inevitable was going to happen before he was out of the sewer, he was just sorry that Dean would have to follow behind him and through the mess he had created. Sam not only felt terrible he also thought he was holding them back. His body was betraying him and as much as he wanted to get out, he wasn't sure he would physically make it out.

Dean patiently waited until sure Sam's breathing had returned to normal, he gave his brother a squeeze on his foot before speaking so only he could hear.

"Let's get you out of here Sammy." His voice was subtle but heard by the youngest Winchester.

"Get moving!" Dean shouted ahead to Tristan.

------

Tristan continued his mental exercises, he was trying his best to calm and focus himself. He wiped away the droplets of sweat that fell into his eyes. His vision began to blur and he felt his own stomach coil in on it self.

As he crawled forward, he caught glimpse of a beam of light ahead of him, light that had not been produced from the small and trembling lighter he held in his hand.

"Guys! Hey, you're not going to believe this, I think we've reached the end!"

Tristan's high pitched cheer vibrated through the walls of the tunnel. He could hear the commotion filter to the brothers behind him. Tristan was now far ahead of the Winchesters, his paced and spirits picked up as he got closer to the light.

---

Tristan released his thumb from the lighter and eased his body out of the confinements of the tunnel into a dark but open room.

"Ah Shit!" He cursed as his shoes splashed into yet more sewage water. Finally stood upright, Tristan wavered as his body fought to catch up on the change of position. The young man leaned onto wall while he scanned the surrounding.

The small square room was considerably brighter but still fairly dark. There was another tunnel at the opposite end of the room adjacent to where they had crawled from. The water in the room was about ankle deep, there was a smaller pipe next to it, about a 15 inch diameter, spilling more of the dark pungent liquid. The young man flinched as he witnessed a large rodent with luminous red eyes leap from the hole into the water. The room they were in was obviously not one that had been maintained in a long time, there was moss and mould over all four walls. In fact, now that he surveyed the surroundings, he saw that the light source was coming from above, in the far corner of the room.

When Tristan was sure his body would stay horizontal, he edged closer to get a better view, upon arriving he leaned his head back to look up into the sun light beam, his mouth dropping open as he did so. He hadn't been expecting what he saw. Leading up was an extremely steep, thin and rust eaten ladder held up by what appeared to be some large rusted brackets with single bolts in each. The long narrow passage looked barely wide enough to fit a grown man, it was even narrower than the tunnel they had just been in.

"Tristan?" Tristan jolted to attention. "Get over here and help Sam out." The older Winchester's voice echoed through the room.

Tristan promptly reached the exit of the tunnel and held out a supportive hand to the young Winchester . He placed the other firmly on Sam's arm and began pulling the hunter's body out. Tristan felt himself dip forward under the dead weight of Sam's body, he leaned in lower and offered to take on more of Sam's body weight, making sure Sam didn't fall head first.

When he was sure the younger hunter had found his footing he lowered him so that his back leaned against the wall. He moved to the tunnel to hold a hand for the older Winchester who pushed away his hand. "I'm fine." Dean barked as he straightened himself and approached his brother.

Tristan walked backwards, watching the brothers communicate with each other, Dean analysing Sam's injuries making sure there was nothing life threatening. He turned away suddenly sensing his intrusion on the brothers, he hadn't meant to, but he could feel the emotions the Winchesters had for each other. He felt overwhelmed as he read their thoughts. Part of the reason Tristan felt so threatened by the older hunter was the intense protection he had over Sam. Dean was obviously in pain himself. That was clear enough from the burns he could see on his skin, but his pain was almost cancelled out by the intense concern he held for Sam's well being. These emotions reminded Tristan of a time when his own relationship with his brother had been that way. When once, he too could rely on Lucas, his older brother, to protect him.

Since the 'change', Lucas had not only become a vampire, but also a monster. He had transformed, along with their relationship. Lucas was the only family he had and that alone was one of the only reasons why they still remained together, he knew of the terrible things Lucas had done and consciously refused to believe that that part of him was truly his brother. He wanted to believe that his former older brother was in there somewhere. It wasn't easy though because unlike Lucas, Tristan had a conscience of some sort and it wasn't easy to pull the wool over his own eyes, but even to this day he managed it. Lucas was his brother after all and they had to stick together no matter what, right?

"Tristan?" Tristan shot his eyes wide towards the hunter in front of him.

"What's wrong with you man? I've been calling you for ages." Dean continued to stare at Tristan. He gestured towards the light.

"We're gonna have to climb, that's our only way outta here." This time the hunter clicked his fingers in front of the man before him.

"Focus! You're gonna have to go up first again, okay?" Dean sighed loudly and inhaled through his nose.

"Dude, I'm not gonna say it again, whatever the fuck's wrong, deal with it. I don't have time for this shit! Now Focus!" Dean continued on seeing Tristan cower and nod.

"Now you're gonna hav…" Dean stopped in mid sentence on hearing Tristan whisper.

"What?" The hunter spat.

"Lucas… my brother…" Tristan trailed off turning and looking directly into the light, he appeared dazed and lost in his thoughts.

---

Dean sighed placing a hand over face and dragging it down to his month, he could feel his blood boiling, he had forgotten what little patience he had left for anyone else, but Sam far behind in the basement that was currently in flames. He was trying to stay calm for Sam's sake because killing Tristan now would not be a good thing. Hell, the guy had helped them this far. And he had to get someone to go up first because he didn't want to leave Sam.

Dean walked away from Tristan, creating a needed gap from the man while he calmed himself. As he walked over to Sam, his mind worked over what Tristan had muttered. Lucas had been the same person that had taken Sam, in fact now that he thought about it, that same Lucas was the one who hurt his brother in the first place.

"Sorry to say this Tristan, but if your brother is alive, I will kill him, now I don't know exactly what he did to my brother, but the fact that he laid a finger on Sam has put him on my hit list."

Tristan's eyes widened in horror as he digested the words spoken by the hunter. Tristan was truly torn and in shock. It surprised him that part of him understood where Dean was coming from, the other part though, well the younger brother in him wanted to protect his older brother, whether Lucas was good or bad.

"Now this is the last time I'm gonna say this to you, pull yourself together and get climbing… oh and when we get out of here, you are going to bring me to this brother of yours." Dean shot daggers towards Tristan.

"No." Tristan's eyes began to water as he quivered.

"What!?!" Dean drew closer with his fists clenched.

Dean was face to face in a stand off with the man before him. Sounds of Sam's moans, and the dripping of water filled the room, it was coupled with the odd shriek from the rats that crawled from the small pipe. The stand off only lasted a minute before they both heard it.

Both men turned their heads in shock as they watched someone emerge from the other adjacent sewer tunnel. The man lifted himself out in one smooth movement and smirked at the shocked men before him.

Tristan's jaw clenched and he was shocked further into silence than either Dean or Sam.

"Lucas." Tristan whispered quietly.

**xxxxxxxx**

**Okay, last chapter is coming soon, Thanks for reading and keeping with it.**

**You know the deal, I feed you, and you feed me!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary:** Bruised, tired and mentally exhausted from their previous hunt, the boys decide to take a break before they look for the next one. Unfortunately for them, their next hunt finds them first. **Contains mature material.**

**AN:****Oh my gosh**, I'm so sorry for my loooong absence, I really am guys, it wasn't really planned but life just got a little too hectic, seriously, I had to put this on hold. Thank you to all who messaged me to finish… Alas it's finally finished, hope it was worth the wait, its nice and long so hope you enjoy. Thank you so much for every single one of you who have read this, kept with it and taken time to review. It's been a long and fun journey and I've enjoyed sharing it.

For those who celebrate, hope you have had a great Christmas. Happy New Year to all of you!

As always big **thanks** to my awesome beta Michelle! She's been a star with her patience and dedication….

**Warnings:****…. Language, suggestive nature, mature content …**

**Disclaimer:** sigh no, I don't own them, I don't own much, in fact there have been questions surrounding the ownership of my mind. However, saying that, any characters you don't recognize have come from my head.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Hold my hand  
I need you now  
Slow me down  
I don't know how

Are you living the feeling  
The heights are they worth seeking  
Nothing like believing  
Are your drugs healing

Are you really living  
Or do you seek loving  
Are you happy being  
Or do you search for meaning

Are you ever asking  
Questions they need answering  
You're not really hearing  
You really need releasing

A million pieces broken  
A million secrets unspoken

**Unkle – Hold my hand**

_**Previously:**_

_"Now this is the last time I'm gonna say this to you, pull yourself together and get climbing… oh and when we get out of here, you are going to bring me to this brother of yours." Dean shot daggers towards Tristan._

_"No." Tristan's eyes began to water as he quivered._

_"What!?!" Dean drew closer with his fists clenched._

_Dean was face to face in a stand off with the man before him. Sounds of Sam's moans, and the dripping of water filled the room, it was coupled with the odd shriek from the rats that crawled from the small pipe. The stand off only lasted a minute before they both heard it._

_Both men turned their heads in shock as they watched someone emerge from the other adjacent sewer tunnel. The man lifted himself out in one smooth movement and smirked at the shocked men before him._

_Tristan's jaw clenched and he was shocked further into silence than either Dean or Sam._

_"Lucas." Tristan whispered quietly._

**Chapter 20**

Lucas snarled at the older hunter. He lowered his head, but broke no eye contact as he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a packet of cigarettes. A black rectangular lighter was held in his other hand, he calmly shook out a stick and rested it on his lip. Lucas huffed on noticing the tension in the hunter's clenched fists.

"Now, now Deany." He mumbled around the cigarette that he lit and took a long drag on, "Play nice." The tall man walked closer to the hunter and blew out smoke in front of his face.

Dean stood firm ignoring the intoxicating flume that tickled his sore throat, instead he smiled at the man, nodding his head while he bit hard on his lip. "I'm gonna take great pleasure in killing you." Lucas returned and he took a step closer.

Both men were now toe to toe, their bodies stiff, teeth grit down hard and nostrils flared in rage. Tristan slid away from the tension that permeated the air, he stopped when he came into contact with the wall behind him. Dean's head hung low, but his eyes had a clear vision of the man in front of him. His chest slowly rose and fell as he breathed deeply, his expression was intense and filled with ire. He was under the influence of pure anger; he could feel it in his blood, his temperature rose with every minute that went by and it was close to boiling point. He knew he wouldn't be able to keep hold of himself any longer.

Lucas turned away and sniggered, he rested his gaze on Sam, who had edged further into the far corner of the small, damp room. Lucas lowered his head and smiled at the younger hunter.

_Lucas?_ On hearing the unspoken call, he sharply turned his attention towards Tristan, who appeared still, very stunned at the situation.

"Come here!" He ordered sharply. Tristan's body twitched at the aggressive command made towards him, he felt on edge and not quite with it, none the less he walked towards the tall older man who now held out a hand in front of him.

Tristan hesitated as he drew closer, he looked at the hand while he slowly walked into Lucas's embrace.

"What's wrong brother, why so tense? I've told you before, you need to relax." Lucas looked into Tristan's watery eyes, he took out the cigarette and pressed his lips roughly onto his forehead before harshly pushing the young dazed man away from him. Tristan stumbled back and tripped as his feet struggled to steady in the shallow water.

Dean saw a gap and made a dive towards Sam. He was promptly stopped by a strong hand that clasped around his neck. The hunter kicked out in defence, crippling the tall man enough to edge closer and place himself in front of his brother.

Lucas gripped onto Dean's neck once more and pressed the lit cigarette butt into the scar tissue of Dean's burned arm, the older hunter cried out in agony, Lucas pressed harder until the hunter's skin sizzled, sending loud volumes of pain through Dean's body.

"What d'you think you're gonna do huh? Try anything like that again and I'll continue the 'activities' on your Sammy there." Lucas turned to face Sam who held a pained, but stern face of hatred. Lucas sniggered and faced the hunter in his grip, "Now, have I made myself clear?"

Dean exhaled and hugged his burned arm into his bare stomach, the cold flesh offered some comfort to the burning pain. He began to straighten his body, uncurling as the throbbing eased slightly. He panted and looked up to where Lucas stood, he knew that he made a risky move but it was worth it, he was standing in the position he had wanted, in front of his injured brother, protecting him and shielding him from the danger before them.

------

Sam felt as though his heart was in his throat. Horrified, he watched the events that played out before him, it infuriated him that Lucas was hurting his brother in front of him and there was nothing he could do about it. Even as he called out for Lucas to stop, he realised that even that was something he wasn't able to do.

Sam pulled his legs closer to his body. He let his face fall into the gap between his knees, breathing was now too much of a painful task, he just needed this all to be over. The younger Winchester closed his eyes, but could still hear movement and the presence of his brother who was situated in front of him. That alone gave him some sense of hope that Dean was protecting him.

_Oh Sammy?_

Sam squirmed but kept his eyes closed, he knew there was no point in opening them, the voice he heard was in his head. He choked on a sob.

_Come on Sam, I think we're well acquainted by now_

"Hey Sammy, what's wrong?" Dean turned on hearing Sam groan behind him.

Sam could feel Lucas invading his head, his thoughts, it was a violation he knew too well and he didn't know how to stop it. Dean's hand offered little to focus on to try to ignore the taunting of Lucas's voice in is head.

It wasn't long before Dean worked out what was going on. He sharply turned to Lucas and stood tall in front of him, his teeth grit down hard and fists clenched.

"Leave my brother alone!" The oldest hunter spat out with vehemence. His voice was deep and laboured, but rang clearly through the small room.

---

Lucas sneered at him and took a step forward.

"Get out of the way!"

Dean huffed, and stood his ground. "Never! You have to get through me first!"

"You're willing to die for him?" Lucas stared at the hunter before him analysing his intentions and response. Nodding his head he continued.

"Ah you're breaking my heart, God you're stupider than I thought. I'm going to break you in half, like a twig and drain you dry, I fancy a good feed!" Lucas stated, he licked his lips while he stretched and cracked his fingers in front of the hunter.

Dean calmly nodded his head. "…hmm…right."

Without warning, Dean planted his knuckles into Lucas's Jaw and another into his chest. The man staggered back but stayed up right, as he regained his balance Lucas shot daggers at Dean and growled in anger, his sharp fangs now fully exposed.

Dean watched as the vampire's eyes filled with anger, followed closely by complete shock, then by fear that blended seamlessly to shame. It soon become clear what had caused the mixture of expression on Lucas's face, Dean watched the bloody and protruding piece of wood appear from the Vampire's chest. The sharp object slid out through the broken flesh and through the torn fabric of the creature before him.

Lucas released a gasped cry before he fell to ground, leaving Tristan, standing with bloody hands and tears in his eyes.

All three men soaked in the eerie silence of the room.

-----

Tristan was first to move, he dropped to his knees and placed a trembling hand on the dead man on the ground. "Lucas?" His breathing became frantic as he shook the body slightly.

"Lucas!?!" Tristan let the tears flow freely.

Dean watched Tristan breaking before him, he carefully edged closer, confirming with his eyes that Lucas had stabbed him through the heart with a hand made wooden stake that had indeed 'killed' the vampire.

The hunter relaxed his stance as he heard Tristan cry out his dead brother's name repeatedly, the scene made him more than uncomfortable, and he truly felt bad for Tristan. Tristan looked up towards the older hunter pleadingly with tears spilling from his eyes. Dean softened his face as he stared down at the broken man before him, he had no words for Tristan, and for a second saw a vulnerable boy sobbing over his brother. The older Winchester quivered before snapping from his musings, it was clear that Tristan was hurting, but more importantly, so was Sam and Sam always comes first. The smoke in the room clouded his vision and told him they needed to move and fast, he left Tristan to have a few more minutes as he tended to his own broken brother.

--

Sam lifted his head from his arms to see Dean's hand held out in front of him. "Let's get outta here dude."

Sam's pain seemed to return from wherever it had gone with vengeance. He gripped with all he had onto Dean's hand and attempted to lift his body up. Failing miserably, he gasped in pain.

"Easy." Dean used his body to lift his brother the rest of the way, doing so gently upon seeing how weak his brother had become.

Sam let himself be lifted by Dean and was grateful that he was there to pick him up. Dean was always there to pick him up, he thought about this as he contemplated on where he'd be without Dean. The younger hunter watched Tristan curl in on himself, the young man's body trembling. Sam swallowed hard, the hairs on back of his neck stood on edge, he rode out a shudder that trickled over his body. Tristan must have been communicating with him again because for a moment he not only saw, but felt his pain, the hunter's eyes stung with unshed tears. His heart felt heavy, he drew in a strangled breath of air before speaking, "Dean" Sam motioned his head at Tristan who was still on the floor, engulfed in emotion.

"Yeah." Dean walked over to Tristan and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Tristan, man, I'm … sorry."

He stepped back a little, "Can't imagine how you feel right now, but you did the right th... _shit_….look… we gotta get outta here." Dean waited for a few seconds, "I'll give you a minute to get yourself together."

-------

It had only been five minutes but the room was saturated with thick smoke. Both Winchester men were ready to begin the climb out of smoke filled sewer.

"Tristan?" Dean called out to where Tristan stood.

Tristan nodded and walked over to the hunters and looked Dean in the eye, waiting for directions and instructions of what do next.

"We need to get out of here." Dean watched the man nod again, the desperate and trusting gaze made the older Winchester slightly uneasy, but he felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the man. Awakened from his thoughts, Dean squinted towards Tristan before giving Sam another once over.

"Ready?" The older hunter questioned.

Tristan cleared his throat, "Yeah."

"Listen … Err you go up first Dean, I promise I'll watch out for Sam." Tristan looked sincerely at the older Winchester, "I'll make sure he doesn't fall."

Dean questionably eyed the man before him, even after everything that had happened and the sacrifice Tristan had made for their safety, he still found it hard to trust anyone with Sam's life.

"Kay." Dean nodded, "Stay close and watch him."

Dean walked over to the ladder, he pulled and tested his weight on the first couple of steps leading the way up. He bounced on the handles making sure they could handle the weight of all three men.

Satisfied, he climbed back down, splashing into the water below and walked towards his younger brother who tiredly leaned his body against the damp, moss ridden wall, his arm laid over his mouth from the growing toxic fumes.

"Okay Sammy, last hurdle, _I hope_. You gotta give this all you've got, I know you can do this, just keep looking up, you don't look down." With outstretched arms Dean hugged Sam's shoulders and gave him a firm, but gentle shake.

Sam moaned his understanding. He didn't think he had anything left in him and if he could have had the energy to speak, he would have expressed this to his brother. But he didn't, and the thought of getting out of the sewer and ending the whole ordeal offered some miraculous spurt of will to continue. He looked into Dean's eyes, seeing the genuine faith his brother had in him and suddenly it was enough. The younger Winchester nodded and moved towards the ladder, sloshing his aching body through the shallow water, to where he needed to be, ready to climb.

"Let's do this." Dean stated as he begin to ascent followed closely by Sam and then Tristan, all three men moving slow, up towards the light.

----

Sam felt sweat drip down the side of his face, trailing down his neck and resting on the collar of Dean's shirt. His muscles shook with the effort of holding on, he could feel his fingers slide on the creeping vegetation that had grown around the handles, Dean had done his best to rub the metal free of the slippery substance but it was intertwined around the handles, adding more difficultly in keeping gripped. Sam's main fear was that he would fall and not only leave Dean, but also take the man below with him.

"Nearly there Sam." Sam looked up and saw that the light was not only brighter, but shone its welcomed rays that warmed his skin.

"This is it." Dean lowered his gaze and gripped harder onto the handle. The enclosed wall around him seemed to pull away from him and he shook away the overwhelming vertigo that plagued him.

"S'okay Sammy, this lid's heavier than I thought, but I got it..." Dean's voice grew further away as he climbed out and disappeared into the light.

Sam closed his eyes and took a long deep breath, he looked down, _shit!_ He knew he shouldn't have looked down. His body swayed, he felt his grip loosen involuntarily and all he could do was groan a cry for help.

Before he could figure out what had happened, he felt strong arms hook under his arm pits and pull hard, up towards the warm light. Sam squirmed as the pulling and scraping shot pain through his body, he tried to call out to Dean, but his mouth refused to work properly. The world around him still swirled before his eyes so he kept them closed.

"I gotcha Sammy."

Tristan climbed out a few seconds later, panting and gasping for air. He lowered his body to the ground to catch his breath.

Sam knew he was laying on concrete, facing the sky, the sun washing over him, he breathed in the welcomed clean, fresh air that filled his aching lungs.

"Do you think you can walk?" Dean spoke softly. He hovered over his brother's face, Sam could feel it by the shade that covered him. The younger Winchester made another unsuccessful attempt to voice his answer.

Dean chuckled lightly, "Okay dude, I'll take that as a no. Just don't move." When Sam made another attempt to answer and failed yet again, Dean patted his brother's shoulder in understanding.

"Right, you won't be running off any time soon. Back soon." Dean stated.

The older hunter stood over Tristan who immediately felt the shadow of Dean's body over him, "You good?" He asked.

"Yeah." Tristan breathed out, he covered his eyes and coughed into his arm. "I'm good." Nodding, Dean returned to Sam's side.

Sam flinched as he felt the tension of Dean's hand in his jeans pocket, he then relaxed almost immediately when he heard his brother's voice and remembered what he had told him.

"Easy, It's just me dude… I can see the car, I'm gonna get the keys from your, I mean, my pocket and make a run to bring her here, I'll be less than a few minutes okay?" Dean stated as he jingled the keys and dashed off towards the Impala parked about two hundred yards away.

Sam began to calm, the fresh air appeared to soothe him just a little. He felt immense relief that they were finally out, all of them, including Tristan.

"I'm sorry Sam, for all of it, you and your brother take care okay?" Sam processed the words and slipped his eyes open. He squeezed his eyes shut immediately and shielded them with his less injured arm, slitting them open once again, Sam saw that Tristan was nowhere in sight, the younger Winchester scanned the surroundings, he could not only see, but also hear the Impala coming towards him. It screeched to a stop and heard the unmistakable sound of the door open and close. Dean was at his side in less than a minute.

"Where's Tristan?"

Sam tried to sit up, to tell Dean that Tristan had gone, but it seemed that there was no need to as Dean made that conclusion for himself, plus the fact that his weakened body protested from the strain and he fell back down. _Where had Tristan gone? _

"Lets get you outta here Sammy." Dean pulled his brother up and brought Sam's arm over his shoulder, he took most of the weight as they crossed the small gap to the warm, roaring Impala.

-----

Sam could feel the rumble of the Impala's engine vibrate within him and although he welcomed the familiar surroundings, the motion and movements made his stomach churn and head spin.

Sam swallowed for the fifth time in the same second, he couldn't fight the urge any longer nor could he manage to voice the dilemma, so he did all he could at that moment and groaned.

"Sammy?"

The younger Winchester swallowed quickly again, he kept his eyes closed but moved his hand over his lower stomach.

"Hang on Sam, I'm pulling over…"

Sam opened his eyes for a spilt second to see the world tilt before him, he promptly closed them again and waited for the car to come a stop. The younger Winchester couldn't remember how he got there but before he knew it, he was on his knees on the ground being held up from the puddle pooling in front of him. His throat burned again as his stomach violently expelled its meagre contents.

"I gotcha Sammy."

Sam struggled to breathe and he convulsed once again, the pain riddled its way through him, each wave sending his body screaming in agony that was just too much for the younger Winchester to handle, so he let his eyes close and melted into the strong, supporting arms.

----

Dean stood over the bed watching his brother's chest rise and fall.

The last couple of days had been hell, _so much for 'taking a break'_, he thought to himself. After bringing in the supplies the older Winchester contemplated the best way to clean and tend to his brother's wounds.

Sam's body was covered in cuts and injuries all over and it would be too much of a task to clean them on the bed. He glanced over to the bathroom then quickly back at his unconscious brother.

Darting his eyes back and forth between the two, he made his decision, "Yep, bath time it is Sammy." He stated to himself as he slowly made his way to prepare the bathroom.

--

Dean returned and looked down at his brother, he exhaled loudly and rubbed his hand over his eyes. The throbbing in his head was increasing and the trip from the car to the room had been not only tricky but also taxing on his own injuries.

"Okay." Dean panted.

He unbuckled the belt and began removing the jeans from Sam's body; he did the same with the shirt and left only the boxers intact.

"You're way too old and freakishly tall for this dude! Probably a good thing you're unconscious, cause this is just too weird man, and talk about awkward…" Dean continued to mumble to himself as he lifted Sam's limp body into a fireman's carry over his stronger shoulder. A few choice curses followed as he stumbled his way into the bathroom where he placed Sam on the closed toilet seat.

Sam was difficult to handle when physically injured but handling Sam when unconscious was not only strenuous, but also practically impossible. "God Damn it… Sam…Ugh." Dean struggled to lean Sam's body against the wall. He lifted him, sliding his arms under Sam's, he moved him over to the edge of the bathtub. Dean hugged Sam's bobbing frame close to his own body so he could strategically lift one leg at a time into the shallow and treated water.

"Kay." Dean blew out a breath before lifting Sam's whole body and sliding him the rest of the way into the warm water.

Dean used one arm to hold Sam's torso up as he folded Sam's long legs, with the other, to fit more comfortably in the bath. It made him smile slightly at the sight, Sam had long ago outgrown the length of the conventional bath tub and it was clear why the youngest Winchester naturally preferred showers.

By now Dean's head was spinning. His own injuries needed tending to, but he was too exhausted to even consider that when he hadn't even began looking at Sam.

As the older Winchester looked Sam's body over, he realised again just how badly they had tortured his brother. There wasn't one part of Sam's body that didn't have a scrape, cut, bruise, burn or puncture wound on it. The older hunter knew he would need to clean these injuries well, the last thing Sam needed was for any of them to get infected. Dean had already poured some antiseptic into the shallow, warm water, he used a small towel that he soaked in antiseptic fluid, with a little soap, that he applied directly onto the wounds.

After the long and tedious task of cleaning the wounds, the older Winchester groaned and scrunched his face with exhaustion. He rested his head on his arm that was leaned on the rim of the bath tub, the other hand held Sam's back against the tub. He lifted his head on hearing Sam moan his way into consciousness.

"Yeah, great timing Sammy." Dean teased, he panted and rested his head back down onto his arm. The nausea hit him hard and fast as the older Winchester struggled to crawl to the toilet before gagging and vomiting into the porcelain. "Fuck!" He let his head rest on his arm again, he just didn't have the energy to move.

"Dean?...Dean you okay?" Sam's hoarse and weak voice echoed against the tiled walls of the bathroom.

"Yeah, I'll be fine Sammy, Just give me a minute here." The young man spat.

----

A minute turned into ten, then to twenty and it wasn't until a whole hour had passed that Dean managed to ward off the nausea enough to move. He turned around to see that Sam had passed out again and was still sitting in the tub of water that was most definitely cold by now.

The older Winchester groaned loudly as he used the wall to steady himself to stand. When he was sure he wouldn't return to the ground he crossed the short distance to Sam. As Dean cursed himself for leaving his brother in this way for so long, he realised it was going to be another feat to get him out and on to the bed.

"Sammy?" Dean roused Sam by gently shaking him.

"Hey Sam, I'm sorry for leaving you hanging dude… not feeling too great myself." Dean sighed when his brother simply moaned and squirmed under the touch.

"Come on. Let's get you dry." Dean didn't wait for a response as he began gripping his brother under his shoulders. He took a deep breath and heaved his brother up to sit on the edge of the tub.

Thankfully for Dean Sam started to show some signs of consciousness and physical cooperation, with help from Dean Sam got up and managed to lift his legs out while still sitting on the rim of the bathtub.

"You gonna be able to walk to the bed dude?" Dean asked flatly, exhausted and drained. He watched Sam's forlorn eyes and spoke again before he could answer.

"With my help of course." Dean added lightly.

"Come on Dude, we've spent way too much time together in this bathroom."Dean smirked. With that he wrapped Sam's arm around his neck and lifted him up. Sam wavered, but found his footing, the two slowly and unsteadily made their way back to the bedroom.

----

Dean did the best he could to finish tending to Sam's wounds before he too gave in and decided to get some rest. He made sure his brother was as comfortable as possible and set the alarm on his phone to wake him up in an hour. He had asked Sam to wake him if he was up, but they were now both not in good shape and thought it would be better not to leave anything to chance.

----

Sam opened his eyes to the pale avocado coloured ceiling of their current room. He blinked a few times to clear the blurred vision before turning his head to the bed next to him. Dean was facing him asleep on his side, his face was blanched and pallid, he looked exhausted even in sleep.

Sam hauled himself up grimacing with the effort, he ached, but it was now more of a dull ache, it was probably the drugs Sam concluded. He didn't remember taking them, but knew and could feel the padding down effect it had on the physical pain he felt before. He eyed himself up and down as smelt the antiseptic on his body, he could tell he had required some damage repair. Smiling, he realised his brother's good work and was grateful to have Dean caring for him. It was then that he remembered Dean throwing up, his memory was still a blur, but it was slowly coming back in patches. He remembered his brother had mumbled something about concussion earlier and judging by Dean's appearance he was still suffering from the effects.

The youngest Winchester swung his legs over and sat still for a few minutes, he took a couple of deep long breaths before standing and walking over to Dean's bed. Sam placed a hand on his forehead and sighed at the warm touch.

"Dean? Hey man wake up." Sam gently gripped his brother's shoulder and gave a firm shake. He waited until he received a mumbled response from his brother that sounded like 'I'm tired.' Either way Sam ignored it, if Dean was concussed then he needed to wake him as a precaution.

"Yeah, I know Dean but you have to wake up, okay?" Sam gave his brother another gentle and firm shake that Dean moaned in response to, satisfied that Dean was conscious enough, Sam gave him a few minutes to shake the sleep.

Sam rubbed a sore spot on his arm, hell his whole body was sore, yes they both came out wounded, but he was just glad that they got out of the situation alive. Even if he did feel his physical wounds would heal far quicker than his mental ones. That was still something he felt he was not ready to deal with just yet. Sam felt himself gag at the thought of what had happened, he hoped that Dean would understand and not push the issue until he was ready. He pushed the tormenting thoughts down and did a quick scan of the room. He stopped towards the door and squinted to get better view of the white piece of paper lying on the floor.

Sam inhaled deeply and slowly moved towards the letter on the floor, it appeared to have been pushed through from the outside. Sam slowly unfolded to paper and began reading the scribbled and fairly childlike writing:

_I have been knocking on your door for ages, you're lucky I didn't just let myself in, but I know you are in there as your car is parked outside. _

_Some person came asking for you, same guy as last time, and paid your room for two nights. One night has gone and you owed a night before that so now you need to pay up or LEAVE!_

_If I do not get payment by 12 noon today, you better have left or I will call the police to have you vacated! _

The letter was signed and dated. Sam glanced at clock hanging on the wall and noted that they didn't have much time left. He digested the letter and began trying to formulate a plan of action. He and Dean were still not in good shape but he knew they were low if not almost out of cash and card. Not to mention that they needed to get away from the dump that was the current town they were in. With his mind made up, he slowly grimaced his way back to the bed where his brother lay still on his side.

"Dean?"

"I'm up Sammy, I'm up, just gimme a minute." The older Winchester rolled over to his back and placed his arm over his eyes.

"How you feeling bro?" Sam asked as he eased his way to sit opposite his brother's bed.

"I should be asking you that." He paused, moaned and sat up, "I'm fine."

Sam smiled while handing him the letter, "We need to go." He inhaled and held his breath for a few minutes, he could feel the effects of the drugs wearing off.

Dean read the letter and crunched it in his hand, he shook his head, looked at his watch and stared at Sam. "It was Tristan, wasn't it." It was more of a statement than a question, that Sam nodded to slowly.

"How you doing?" Dean questioned as he stood and placed a hand on Sam's shoulder waiting for an answer.

"I'm…alright, but I think I need more pain medicine" Sam answered with a grimace.

"There's a few left in the first aid kit, lets pack up and get out of this shit hole, I would love nothing better right now than to see the back of this town." Dean walked off into the bathroom and back out with a small packet and a glass of water.

The Winchester 's gathered their belongings and left the room to pack the car. They didn't bother to check out; Sam sat in the car and waited for Dean to do a last, quick check. The older Winchester slammed the door of their room and plonked himself into the driver seat. "You ready?" He asked as he nudged Sam from his daze.

Sam startled, not realising Dean had come into the car. He looked at his brother for a long moment, it was a look filled with sadness, pain and defeat but most importantly, hope. And that was enough for Dean, enough for now, he keyed the ignition, the Impala roared to life, leaving a trail of dust in its wake. The dust cleared to reveal a man standing there, Tristan watched them leave and lowered his head before walking away with a small smile.

_Fin_

**xxxxxxx**

**Thank you for reading, for keeping with it and taking time to review. You are all appreciated, every one of you. I know it's not an ****ending**** end, but I had to stop somewhere. I hope you enjoyed it? I'm always keen to know what you think? **


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